Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said that survivors of the atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, played an important role in the struggle against nuclear weapons in the past half century, but he feels that the world does not fully appreciate their message.

Akiba was speaking Wednesday at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo ahead of the 54th anniversary of the bombing.

The mayor, who was elected in February, said messages from the hibakusha effectively prevented the further use of nuclear arms.

But the former Lower House member of the Social Democratic Party criticized the government as being "shy" in expressing its wish to abolish nuclear weapons.

"The Japanese government should at least become the world's leader in advocating the abolishment of nuclear weapons," he said.

Akiba said that Hiroshima must make more of an effort to convey the message that "nuclear weapons are absolute evil."

He also said the city should pass down its experience to future generations and encourage intellectuals to study the experiences of bomb victims.

Responding to criticism that the city only emphasizes itself as a war victim, he said that "it is the victim's responsibility" to tell the rest of the world about its experiences, adding that "victims are usually not victimized by choice."