Hundreds of participants wrote messages of peace on paper lanterns before setting them afloat near the Atomic Bomb Dome, one of the few structures left standing after the 1945 blast. Among them was local resident Mieko Nishimura, who attended with her daughter to honour her great-grandmother, killed in the bombing.
Earlier in the day, around 55,000 people, including delegates from 120 countries and regions, attended a ceremony at Hiroshima’s Peace Park.
The 1945 attack killed 140,000 people and led to Japan’s surrender, bringing World War II to an end.
