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Possible Joint 2020 Bid From Hiroshima, Nagasaki

Reuters reports the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, located more than 300 kilometres apart, are considering a joint bid for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

They were the only cities to suffer nuclear attacks. The two cities say they want to give momentum to moves to abolish nuclear weapons.

Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue told a news conference Sunday, referring to U.S. President Barack striving for nuclear disarmament, “it is not something that should be left solely to President Obama or talks between governments. Each one of us has a role to play in this and hosting the Olympics could be one of the roles for the cities that suffered nuclear attacks. We look into the possibility of a bid”.

Reuters reports officials said they had agreed to set up a committee to examine the viability of a 2020 bid hosted jointly by Hiroshima, Nagasaki and other supporting cities.

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba reportedly insisted that the distance between the cities would not prove an obstacle to any bid. He said, “it takes only 30 minutes or so to go from one city to the other by plane. They might be far apart geographically, but in terms of travelling time they’re not that far away”.

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