Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Hiroshima has urged the world to abandon weapons of mass destruction including nuclear arms.

Abbas kicked off his Asian tour on Sunday in the Japanese city ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

During his four-day stay in Japan, Abbas will also meet the Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada to discuss strengthening relations and aid from Tokyo, Japanese officials said.

Japan has provided more than one billion dollars in aid to the Palestinian territories since 1993 and is considered as one of the top donors for the Palestinians.

Abbas visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a site to remember the US atomic bombing on August 6, 1945, which killed more than 140,000.

After the trip to Japan, Abbas plans to fly to Seoul and meet South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

Israel which has used unconventional arms in its repeated offensives on the countries in the Middle East is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the region.

Last year, Israel used phosphorous bombs in its attacks on the Gaza Strip, a move that was strongly condemned by the rights bodies across the world.

Israel has so far refused to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

(Press TV)