U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will not be attending this year’s atomic bombing memorial service in Nagasaki due to Israel not receiving an invitation, as confirmed by the embassy on Wednesday. According to the embassy, Emanuel considers the event “politicized” because Israel was excluded from the invite list. Instead, he plans to pay his respects to the victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing at a ceremony held at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo.
The atomic bombing on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, resulted in the city’s destruction and the death of 140,000 people, while a second bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later claimed the lives of 70,000 more individuals. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, marking the end of World War II and the country’s aggressive actions in Asia.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki expressed hesitance in June about inviting Israel, citing the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Last week, Suzuki announced that Israel was not invited to ensure a peaceful and solemn atmosphere at the ceremony, expressing concerns about potential disruptions like protests, sabotage, or attacks on attendees.
In a different approach, Hiroshima extended an invitation to the Israeli ambassador to Japan for its memorial ceremony on Tuesday, where Emanuel and other diplomats, excluding Palestinian representatives, were among the 50,000 attendees.
An official from the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka is set to represent the United States at Nagasaki’s Friday ceremony, as per Nagasaki officials. Additionally, lower-ranking envoys from the Group of Seven nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K.) and the European Union are expected to be present.
Envoy representatives from these nations jointly expressed concerns about Israel’s exclusion and urged Nagasaki to reconsider its decision, as they believed it could undermine the universal message of the ceremony. British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom, who attended the 79th Hiroshima atomic bombing anniversary on Tuesday, mentioned plans to skip the Nagasaki event, emphasizing that excluding Israel might convey an unintended message.
