The Japanese city of Nagasaki is marking 70 years since the dropping of an atomic bomb by the United States. A ceremony at the Nagasaki Peace Park observed a minute's silence. Speeches by a survivor and Nagasaki's mayor both criticised the attending Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his plans to loosen the restrictions on what Japan's military can do. At least 70,000 died in the Nagasaki attack, which came three days after another bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Nagasaki was only chosen because the original target, Kokura, was obscured by a cloud.

A solemn ceremony in front of guests from 75 countries, including US ambassador Caroline Kennedy, began on Sunday with a declaration read out by children. A minute's silence and bells marked the time of the explosion at 11:02 (02:02 GMT). Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue then delivered a peace declaration to the ceremony. He said there was "widespread unease" about Mr Abe's legislation that will alter the constitutional requirement limiting Japan's military to self defence

A survivor of the Nagasaki attack, 86-year-old Sumiteru Taniguchi, described the injuries he had suffered and said he could not accept Mr Abe's new legislation. In his address to the ceremony, Mr Abe said Japan remained "determined to pursue a world without nuclear weapons". In a statement read out on his behalf, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: "Nagasaki must be the last - we cannot allow any future use of nuclear weapons. The humanitarian consequences are too great. No more Nagasakis. No more Hiroshimas."