NHK reported that UN Secretary General Guterres said in an online press conference with New York-based Japanese journalists on Wednesday that he hopes to attend the peace memorial in Hiroshima next year. Concerning his canceled visit to the city this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, Guterres reportedly said: “It was very disappointing…. I hope to visit Hiroshima next year. I want to express my appreciation to the hibakusha, for whom I have profound respect.” Concerning nuclear disarmament, the UN secretary general reportedly stressed that it is essential for the U.S. and Russia to renew the New START agreement before it expires next February. Meanwhile, he reportedly expressed his strong expectations for Japan, as the only nation to have experienced atomic bombings, to “play a positive role” as a bridge between the non-nuclear powers and the nuclear powers, including the U.S., to promote nuclear disarmament.