The same pattern you exemplified, leeneia, also applies in Oz. But I've only heard Hiroshima pronounced here with the accent on the second syllable, as specified by your "friend".
I suspect some people are 'deaf' to what they actually hear and only register something that is already filed in their brain. I have occasion to frequently introduce a person whose name is Naomi, pronounced with the accent on the first syllable; I'm told, but can't verify, that this is an English habit. I've lost count of the number of people who immediately then pronounce the name with the accent on the second syllable. And it really grates if they pronounce it with the lazy version of Ozspeak, so that even I hear it as "Nigh-OH-mi".
Sigh! Naomi, however, manages to accept such speakers with remarkably good grace.