- The United States, the other Group of Seven countries and the EU have announced that they will send lower-ranking envoys, rather than ambassadors, to this year’s Nagasaki atomic bomb memorial ceremony because Israel was not invited.
- Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki announced last week that he would not invite Israel, citing concerns about the possibility of “unforeseen incidents” such as protests, disruptions and attacks on participants.
- Envoys from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the EU signed a letter expressing concern about Israel’s exclusion, saying it was misleading to put Israel in the same category as Russia and Belarus, the only other countries not invited.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will miss this year’s atomic bomb memorial ceremony in Nagasaki on Friday because Israel was not invited, the embassy announced.
The embassy said Emanuel would not attend the event because it had been “politicized” by Nagasaki’s decision not to invite Israel.
Instead, they plan to hold a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo to commemorate the victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing.
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On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later, killing another 70,000. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing an end to World War II and nearly half a century of aggression in Asia.[1945年8月6日、米国が広島に投下した原子爆弾は、広島市を破壊し、14万人の命を奪った。3日後に長崎に投下された2発目の爆弾は、さらに7万人の命を奪った。日本は1945年8月15日に降伏し、第二次世界大戦と、半世紀近く続いたアジアへの侵略行為に終止符を打った。
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said Thursday the decision not to invite Israel remained unchanged, even though the United States, five other Group of Seven nations and the European Union announced they would send lower-ranking envoys rather than ambassadors to the ceremony.
“We simply want to hold a ceremony in a peaceful and solemn atmosphere to commemorate the victims of the atomic bomb,” Suzuki said. “It is in no way for political reasons.”
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will not attend Friday’s memorial service in Nagasaki because Israel was not invited. Instead, he will honor the victims of the Nagasaki bombing at a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Poole, File)
“It is unfortunate that the ambassador cannot attend this year, but we hope that he will be able to join us from next year,” Suzuki added.
Suzuki said in June he was reluctant to invite Israel because of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Last week he announced he would not invite Israel, citing concerns about the possibility of “unforeseen events” such as protests, sabotage or attacks on participants.
Suzuki said the decision was made in light of concerns that “various developments in the international community regarding the situation in the Middle East” could disrupt the ceremony. “August 9 is the most important day for the city of Nagasaki, and the ceremony must not be affected,” he said.
By contrast, Hiroshima invited the Israeli ambassador to Japan to a memorial ceremony on Tuesday attended by 50,000 people, including Emanuel and other envoys, but the Palestinian representative was not invited.
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Nagasaki officials said they had been informed that officials from the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka would represent the United States at Friday’s ceremony.
Envoys from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the European Union signed a joint letter expressing shared concerns about Israel’s exclusion and saying it would be misleading to put Israel in the same category as Russia and Belarus, the only other countries not invited.
The envoys called on the city of Nagasaki to reverse its decision and ask Israel to stick to the ceremony’s universal message, saying excluding Israel would make it difficult for the country to “participate at a high level.”
