- August 7, 2024
- 8:26 pm
- World News
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Serhiy Korsunsky will not take part in the ceremony to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which will take place on August 9, 2024.
Ukraine joined the demarche along with the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, Australia and other countries after Japan did not invite Israel to the ceremony under pressure from pro-Palestinian activists..
On August 9, Nagasaki will host an official ceremony to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombing of August 9, 1945. Since 2022, Russia and Belarus have not been invited to the event due to the war in Ukraine. This year, the city authorities have also banned Israeli representatives from participating due to the war in Gaza.
The Nagasaki mayor's office has decided not to invite Israeli representatives to the ceremony to commemorate the victims of the nuclear bombing because of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In this regard, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said that “the absence of Israelis will allow the event to be held in an atmosphere of peace.”
The city of Nagasaki decided not to invite Gilad Cohen, Israel's ambassador to Japan, to the Aug. 9 memorial ceremony out of concern that pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations against him would undermine the ceremony's dignity. The city did, however, invite the Palestinian diplomatic representative in Tokyo to the ceremony.
Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen expressed condolences over the decision of the Nagasaki mayor's office.
“This decision sends the most wrong message and is at odds with everything the city of Nagasaki has been telling the world for decades. Israel, a close friend of Japan, has been sending representatives to the ceremony for years.” – Gilad Cohen
The wrongness of this decision was also commented on by the British Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom.
“Refusing to invite Israel could be seen as treating it like Russia and Belarus, which is fundamentally wrong.” – Julia Longbottom
Longbottom explained that, unlike Russia, which invaded Ukraine, and Belarus, which cooperated with it, Israel is exercising its right to self-defense.
The countries that have joined the solidarity action with Israel are not completely ignoring the ceremony – they will send junior diplomatic staff to it. Instead of the ceremony in Nagasaki, ambassadors will go to a similar event in Tokyo.
In August 1945, American pilots dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The atomic explosion and its consequences killed 140,000 people out of a population of 350,000 in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki. The overwhelming majority of victims of the atomic bombing were civilians.
On the anniversary of the tragic events – August 6 and 9 – “peace ceremonies” are held annually in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In recent weeks, various organizations, including pro-Palestinian groups, have put intense pressure on the city governments of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to boycott Israel at the ceremonies. “Why invite Israel when it is committing crimes resembling genocide, just like Russia and Belarus?” said Tsugiji Komeda, head of the Japan Confederation of Atomic Bomb Survivors. “It is very disappointing that our request is not being considered.” He noted that his organization had sent a letter to the Hiroshima government in June asking that they rescind the invitation to Israel.
Incidentally, on August 6, Ambassador Gilad Cohen took part in the ceremony held in Hiroshima.
A spokesman for the city of Hiroshima, where 115 countries have been invited to the ceremony, said he would not listen to calls not to invite Israel: “These are not double standards. Our policy is to invite all countries. However, Russia and Belarus were excluded because of the invasion of Ukraine.”
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