Taiwan Attends Hiroshima Peace Ceremony for First Time in 80 Years

Taiwan participated in Hiroshima's annual peace memorial ceremony for the first time on Wednesday, with its top envoy to Japan attending alongside representatives from 120 countries to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing, Focus Taiwan reported.

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Lee Yi-yang, head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association in Tokyo, was among the special guests invited by the city of Hiroshima to the solemn event at Peace Memorial Park. Around 55,000 people attended, including Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, to honor the victims and survivors of the world's first use of a nuclear weapon, Focus Taiwan noted.

The inclusion of Taiwan marks a historic milestone. It is the first time Taiwan has been officially invited since the ceremony's inception in 1947. Lee and his wife also paid respects the day before the ceremony by laying a wreath at the park's memorial site, according to Focus Taiwan.