In message of peace, Japan's Hiroshima to get Gandhi statue

Hiroshima, which became the world's first city to suffer an atomic bombing in 1945, will soon have a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to unveil the statue when he visits the city next week to attend the G7 summit to be hosted by his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida from May 19 to 21.

With the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict set to cast its long shadow over the summit, New Delhi is keen to send out a message of peace by unveiling the statue on the sidelines of the conclave.

The nuclear weapon's power for mass destruction was for the first time put on a horrific display in Hiroshima in the southwestern region of Honshu island of Japan on August 6, 1945.

Gandhi was shocked when he learnt about the macabre dance of death and destruction triggered by 'Little Boy', the atom bomb. He believed that the development of nuclear weapons and their use "for the wholesale destruction of men, women, and children" was "the most diabolical use of science".

After 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' snuffed out over 2,00,000 lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, the apostle of peace had commented that if the world had not adopted non-violence, it would lead mankind towards suicide. Gandhi also said that the world could be saved from an atomic bomb only by non-violence, not by another bomb.

Modi is likely to recall Bapu's words during his stay in Hiroshima. He is also likely to reiterate New Delhi’s position that dialogue and diplomacy were the only way to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, sources in New Delhi said.

Modi is likely to join the other leaders attending the summit in paying homage to the victims of the atomic bombing during a visit to the peace memorial in Hiroshima.

India is not a member of the G7, but its leaders have been attending outreach events being held during the summits of the bloc. Atal Behari Vajpayee was the first Indian PM to participate in the Outreach Session of the G7 Summit in 2003. Manmohan Singh participated in the conclaves from 2005 to 2009.