Hiroshima residents indifferent about IOC president's visit

Bach's visit coincides with the starting day of the so-called Olympic Truce, a tradition from ancient Greece that was revived by a United Nations resolution in 1993.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to visit the Peace Memorial Park dedicated to the victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach visits Hiroshima Memorial Cenotaph during his visit Friday, July 16, 2021, in Hiroshima, western Japan. (REUTERS)

His visit coincides with the starting day of the so-called Olympic Truce, a tradition from ancient Greece that was revived by a United Nations resolution in 1993.

Bach's visit amid the pandemic has drawn criticism among Japanese people with online petitions opposing his visit gathering almost 70,000 signatures.