Japan defends decision to not invite Israel to Nagasaki bomb memorial as US, West shun the event

The mayor of the Japanese city of Nagasaki said the lack of an invitation to Israel for the annual ceremony commemorating the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city, was not “politically motivated”. The defence from the Japanese mayor came after the US and other Western ambassadors to Japan announced that they were skipping the memorial scheduled to take place on Friday since Israel was not invited.

The envoys of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United States and the European Union had sent a letter to Nagasaki in mid-July saying “it would become difficult for us to have high-level participation” in the event if Israel was excluded.

In response to the letter, Suzuki stated that the decision to not invite Israel to the ceremony was taken due to security reasons, including potential demonstrations against Israel’s attendance, Kyodo News reported. He told the reporters that the city authorities are hoping that the ceremony would be “conducted smoothly under a solemn atmosphere,” as aging atomic bomb survivors make great efforts to attend the ceremony.

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“I will continue to persevere and ask for understanding of the decision as often as necessary,” he explained.

The envoys remain adamant

In the July joint letter, the ambassadors stated that not inviting the Jewish nation “would result in placing Israel on the same level as countries such as Russia and Belarus,” which have not been invited to the ceremony for a third consecutive year over the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In light of this, the Nagasaki mayor has initially postponed a decision on Israel’s participation, before announcing on July 31 that the country would not be invited.

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Following the announcement, multiple envoys formally announced they were pulling out of the event. US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said that Nagasaki’s lack of an invite “left me no choice” but to skip the event. The American envoy wrote this in a letter sent to Suzuki after attending the Hiroshima peace ceremony on Tuesday.

“I believe your decision is a political one and has nothing to do with the security and safety of the event, especially in light of the calibre of attendees,” wrote Emanuel. “I am also confident you are aware that I will not be the only ambassador not attending this year’s ceremony in Nagasaki for similar reasons and concerns,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Canadian embassy on Thursday said that its ambassador Ian McKay would abstain from the ceremony as the lack of an invitation equated Israel with Russia and Belarus, although it said it understood the importance of the event. The French embassy also confirmed that the ambassador Philippe Seton will also not be attending the event, on the same date.

Earlier this week, British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom also expressed her intention to skip the annual peace ceremony. According to Japanese news outlet Kyodo News, the ambassadors that have pulled out are slated to be represented instead by respective ministers and consul generals.

Israel thanks the envoys

Shortly after the news broke out, Israel’s envoy to Japan Gilad Cohen expressed gratitude on X, formerly known as Twitter, to the representatives that pulled out of the ceremony. “I would like to extend my gratitude to all the countries that have chosen to stand with Israel and oppose its exclusion from the Nagasaki Peace Ceremony. Thank you for standing with us on the right side of history,” he said.

I would like to extend my gratitude to all the countries that have chosen to stand with Israel and oppose its exclusion from the Nagasaki Peace Ceremony. Thank you for standing with us on the right side of history.

— Gilad Cohen 🇮🇱🎗️ (@GiladCohen_) August 8, 2024

Suzuki said that the decision of some ambassadors to pull out of the ceremony was “unfortunate,” adding that he hoped that they would participate again from the following year onward.

Meanwhile, in the city of Tokyo, many staged demonstrations near the US and British embassies on Thursday evening, protesting their respective ambassadors’ decision to pull out of the Nagasaki peace ceremony. Chants of “Shame on you” in English and “Stop blackmailing Nagasaki,” were heard in the area as the protesters held Palestinian flags and banners, Kyodo News reported.