Nagasaki mayor says Israel not invited to A-bomb peace ceremony

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The mayor of Nagasaki on Wednesday said Israel will not be invited to its annual peace ceremony in August commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of the Japanese city, opting to take a different path from Hiroshima, which has asked the Middle Eastern country to join its ceremony.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in June that he had sent a letter to Israel calling for a cease-fire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while leaving an invitation to the Aug. 9 ceremony on hold due to the risk of "unexpected situations" such as protests, amid international condemnation of the country's war conduct.

At a press conference Wednesday, Suzuki said he has not seen any moves that will mitigate such risks even as the

At a press conference Wednesday, Suzuki said he has not seen any moves that will mitigate such risks even as the ceremony nears.

He said the "wrenching decision" not to invite Israel is "not a political one but is based on our hope that we want the ceremony conducted smoothly under a solemn atmosphere."

The latest development prompted Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen to express his disappointment.

Noting that Israel has attended the ceremony "for many years to honor the victims and their families," the ambassador said on social media platform X that Nagasaki's decision is "regrettable" and "sends a wrong message to the world."

"Israel is exercising its full right and moral obligation to defend itself and its citizens and will continue to do so," he also said.

Following the surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Israel began military operations in the Gaza Strip in retaliation. But international concerns have grown over the deaths and injuries of many civilians in the Palestinian enclave, as well as the dire humanitarian situation there.

Hiroshima, for its part, has invited Israel to its Aug. 6 ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the A-bomb attack there with a message calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

Some residents and others have accused the Hiroshima city government of having a double standard, as Russia and Belarus have been barred from the ceremony for three consecutive years over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Nagasaki also has no plans to invite Russia and Belarus for the third straight year.

The Nagasaki mayor said he has already notified Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui of his decision, adding that the "desire to pay respects to the (atomic bomb) victims is the same."

Takeshi Yamakawa, an 87-year-old survivor of the Nagasaki bombing, said he is furious over Israel's actions but still wants all countries -- whether it be Israel, a de facto nuclear state, Russia or Belarus -- to be invited to the ceremony to "show them how cruel things happened in Nagasaki 79 years ago."

On the other hand, Shigemitsu Tanaka, the 83-year-old head of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, was against inviting representatives from countries waging armed conflicts in defiance of calls from the international community.

He also said the southwestern city should unabashedly take Israel to task over its excesses in Gaza, wondering why the mayor had to insist that the decision was not political.

"Maybe it took heed to the Japanese government and the United States," a key ally of Israel, Tanaka said.

Each year, Hiroshima and Nagasaki invite delegates from countries and regions across the world to attend their respective peace ceremonies to pray for the victims and affirm that humanity cannot coexist with nuclear arms.

The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and the second on Nagasaki three days later. Around 210,000 people -- mostly civilians -- are estimated to have died as a result of the attacks by the end of 1945. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15 that year, bringing an end to World War II.