PM Modi said that the bust of Mahatma Gandhi will take forward the idea of non-violence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Japan to attend the G7 Summit, unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima today. Sharing a picture from the event on Twitter, PM Modi said that the bust of Mahatma Gandhi will take forward the idea of non-violence.
"Unveiled Mahatma Gandhi's bust in Hiroshima. This bust in Hiroshima gives a very important message. The Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions," PM Modi wrote in a tweet in Japanese.
Speaking to reporters after unveiling the bust of Mahatma Gandhi, PM Modi said that even today the world gets frightened when they listen to the word 'Hiroshima', referring to the nuclear attack by the US during the Second World War which killed nearly 140,000 people.
"I got the opportunity to unveil a bust of Mahatma Gandhi during my visit to Japan for the G7 Summit. The bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima will take forward the idea of non-violence," PM Modi said, according to news agency ANI.
"It is a great moment for me to know that the Bodhi tree that I gifted to the Japanese PM has been planted here in Hiroshima so that people can understand the importance of peace when they come here. I pay my respect to Mahatma Gandhi," PM Modi added.
Hiroshima was the first military target of a nuclear weapon in human history.
On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima suffered the world's first nuclear attack, which killed nearly 140,000 people and caused unimaginable loss of property.
Three days later, on August 9, the United States dropped another bomb, named "Fat Man", on the city of Nagasaki, killing more than 75,000 people. The two bomb attacks remain the only time atomic bombs have been used in wartime.
PM Modi arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to attend the G7 Summit at the invitation of Japan's PM Fumio Kishida. The G7 Summit will be held in Hiroshima from May 19-21.
Japan assumed the G7 Presidency in 2023.
The Summit is an international forum held annually for the leaders of the G7 member states of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada (in order of rotating presidency), and the European Union (EU).