61st anniversary

Today marks the 61st anniversary of the end of World War II in Japan, which naturally focuses almost entirely on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in this country. Its been relatively prevalent in the news and on city hall bulletin boards (at least here in Takasaki, but I imagine the rest of the country followed suit). I can't quite vouch for everyday conversations, and school's not in session, and i wouldn't be surprised if a number of Japanese youths were only vaguely aware of the weight of this week's dates.
I may be (am) a dorky history major, but was excited to see a japanses news program translated into English discussing the subject. Most was standard fare, Japanese individuals calling for peace, nuclear disarmament, and friendly relations between nations (i assume they added this to the more general call for peace because of Japan's lagging relations with the rest of Asia). More interesting was the newscasters brief monologue after the coverage, adding that Japan's own atrocities and aggression must never be forgotten, and that the bombing was a lesson not just for the world outside of japan.
How many major newscasters in America make calls like this, staring into the camera, staring into the nation? Japan isn't usually a progressive nation concerning the acceptance of past faults, and I've heard that its media tends not to be terribly provactive. But if such an emotional and direct statement is considered standard when remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then there is something America (and the rest of the world?) can learn from Japan.