• Nagasaki’s decision was based on potential disruptions to the ceremony due to international developments.
• The US Consulate in Fukuoka will represent the US at the ceremony.
• Envoys from these nations have signed a joint letter expressing concern about Israel’s exclusion.

The US Embassy announced Wednesday that US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will skip this year’s atomic bombing memorial service in Nagasaki because the city did not invite Israel. Emanuel will not attend the event on Friday, as the embassy stated that Nagasaki’s decision to exclude Israel had “politicized” the ceremony.

Instead, Emanuel will honor the victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing at a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. Three days later, a second bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed an additional 70,000. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, ending World War II and nearly 50 years of aggression in Asia.

In June, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki expressed hesitation about inviting Israel, citing the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Last week, he announced that Nagasaki did not extend an invitation to Israel due to concerns over “possible unforeseen situations” such as protests, sabotage, or attacks on attendees. Suzuki stated that Nagasaki aimed to honor the atomic bomb victims “in a peaceful and solemn atmosphere.”

Suzuki said he made the decision based on “various developments in the international community related to the ongoing situation in the Middle East,” which suggested a possible risk of disruption to the ceremony.

In contrast, Hiroshima invited the Israeli ambassador to Japan to its memorial ceremony on Tuesday. Among the 50,000 attendees, who included Emanuel and other envoys, the ceremony did not include Palestinian representatives.

Nagasaki officials said that an official from the US Consulate in Fukuoka will represent the United States at Friday’s ceremony. Five other Group of Seven nations—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK—and the European Union are also expected to send lower-ranking envoys to Nagasaki.

Envoys from those nations signed a joint letter expressing their shared concern about Israel’s exclusion. They stated that treating Israel on the same level as Russia and Belarus— the only other countries not invited—would be misleading.

The envoys urged Nagasaki to reverse the decision and invite Israel to preserve the universal message of the city’s ceremony. They stated that excluding Israel would make their “high-level participation” difficult.

British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom, who attended the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Tuesday, told Japanese media that she plans to skip the Nagasaki ceremony. She expressed concern that the city’s decision to exclude Israel could send the wrong message.

Also Read

US Ambassador visits IBA’s Center for Entrepreneurial Development  

KARACHI:  The Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) at the Institute of Business...