Tokyo, Japan - The mayors of have invited US President to visit this year for the 80th anniversary of the World War II atomic bombings, officials said this week.

Hibakushas, survivors of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, pose with a banner reading "no more Hiroshima, no more Nagasaki," before attending later as guests the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at the Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 2024. © ODD ANDERSEN / AFP

In a joint letter to Trump, the mayors urge him to come and "listen to the testimonies of the hibakusha [bomb survivors] in person, take to heart their fervent wish for peace, and deepen your understanding of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons."

"It is our sincere hope that you will break away from the notion of nuclear reliance and take strong leadership in the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting world peace," said the January 28 letter shared with AFP on Wednesday.

The US dropped an atomic bomb on each Japanese city on August 6 and 9, 1945 – the only times that have been used in warfare. Days later Japan surrendered.

Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and some 74,000 others including many who survived the explosions but died later from radiation exposure.

Washington for the bombings.

US ambassador John Roos in 2010 became the first US representative to attend the annual Hiroshima commemoration and went to the Nagasaki event two years later.

became the first sitting US president to come to Hiroshima in 2016, followed by in 2023.

Trump did not make the trip during his first term, despite the two mayors inviting him according to Japanese media.

Last year, Nagasaki's mayor Shiro Suzuki sparked a furore by not inviting 's ambassador to the ceremony.

Suzuki insisted was "not political" but to avoid possible protests related to the ongoing Gaza conflict.

This file photo taken on May 27, 2016 shows US President Barack Obama (C) receiving a wreath from a student (L) beside Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) at the Cenotaph in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima during the US president's historic visit when he became the first sitting US president to come to the city. © TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP

The ambassadors of the US, Israel, Britain, and others the ceremony in protest and attended a smaller memorial event in Tokyo instead.

Last year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors pushing for a nuclear weapons ban.