Hiroshima mayor at peace ceremony

The plaque is in Manchester Town Hall

The Mayor of Hiroshima is in Manchester to unveil a plaque dedicated to world peace.

The ceremony was the idea of the city council which pioneered nuclear-free policy in the UK.

Manchester and the Japanese city are linked through the World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-City Solidarity.

Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba has called for Hiroshima, the scene of the world's first atomic bomb attack, to become a symbol for 21st Century humanity.

The Little Boy atomic bomb flattened Hiroshima

Manchester's Lord Mayor, Councillor John Smith, is vice-president of the World Conference, along with with the Mayor of Nagasaki, Iccho Itoh.

Mayor Akiba will be in Glasgow on Thursday to address the 19th annual conference organised by the UK group of nuclear-free local authorities.

The group's secretariat is based at Manchester Town Hall where the plaque is being unveiled.

It is vital that we keep open these international links in the pursuit of peace and a safer world

Lord Mayor of Manchester

There are now nearly 100 local authorities with nuclear-free policies, following Manchester's lead 21 years ago.

In July, the council widened its own policy to become "Manchester City of Peace".

Councillor Smith said: "It will be an honour to reciprocrate the kindness shown to me when I was a delegate at the fifth World Conference of Mayors for Peace in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August.

"It is vital that we keep open these international links in the pursuit of peace and a safer world.

New era

"It has taken on a new urgency following the horrific events in the United States, only a month after the peace conference in Japan."

Manchester councillor Bill Risby is the national vice-chairman of the steering committee of nuclear-free local authorities.

He added: "Mayor Akiba's visit is symbolic as it helps to strengthen bonds between nations as we enter a new era where violence, including nuclear attacks, emerges from terrorism and anarchy."