Israel will not be invited to this year’s ceremony commemorating the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki’s decision on Wednesday followed concerns that “unexpected situations” such as anti-Israel protests over the war against the Hamas terrorist organization could erupt at the Nagasaki event.
Suzuki said the “wrenching decision” not to invite Israel, which has attended the event for years, is “not a political one but is based on our hope that we want the ceremony conducted smoothly under a solemn atmosphere.”
In contrast, Hiroshima has invited Israel to its Aug. 6 ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb attacks on the two Japanese cities. The bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians.
Hiroshima’s annual peace ceremony is the larger of the two annual events, and representatives from 115 countries are set to attend.
Suzuki had earlier called for a ceasefire in Israel’s nearly 10-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza and had withheld the invitation pending developments on the ground in the Middle East.
Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen expressed disappointment over the “regrettable” decision, saying it 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,” Cohen wrote on X on Wednesday. “There is no comparison between Israel, which is being brutally attacked by terrorist organizations, and any other conflict; any attempt to present it otherwise distorts reality.”
The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, and the second one on Nagasaki three days later. The Empire of Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II.
