Hiroshima Visit

President Obama will be traveling there today to offer a reconciliatory balm for the still-painful knowledge of the devastation countries can inflict upon one another.

By visiting Hiroshima, Obama is casting the powerful presidential spotlight on the haunted memories of one of history's darkest days. He also hopes to remind the world that nuclear weapons remain a global threat when placed in the wrong hands.

"The President will make an historic visit to Hiroshima with Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe to highlight his continued commitment to pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," spokesman Josh Earnest said.

The announcement comes after months of rumours in the US and Japan that the President, a Nobel peace laureate, would make a visit to the city devastated in the final days of World War II.

Mr Obama will visit central Japan in late May for a Group of Seven summit. Before that, he will head to Vietnam, the White House said.