The majority of Japanese citizens do not expect an apology from President Barack Obama for the Hiroshima bombing when he visits the site where the U.S. used an atomic weapon to end World War II, according to a recent poll from the Japan Times.

The newspaper conducted an online survey and street interviews after the White House announced Obama’s trip, the first by a sitting U.S. president. Of more than 600 responders, 62% said the president should not apologize and 41% said he should rather make a commitment to nuclear nonproliferation, the Times reports.

This largely aligns with the White House’s description of how the heavily symbolic visit on May 27 will unfold. Instead of apologizing, Obama intends his visit to “send a much more forward-looking signal about his ambition for realizing the goals of a planet without nuclear weapons,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said at a Tuesday press briefing.

[Japan Times]

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Mark Rivett-Carnac at mark.rivett-carnac@timeasia.com.