Nagasaki defies pressure, refuses to invite Israel to nuclear commemoration

The Nagasaki local government has defied pressure from the Group of Seven (G7) nations and stands by its decision to keep away Israel from an event to commemorate the US nuclear bombing of Japan during World War II.

The US dropped the bomb on the city on August 9, 1945.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said the decision was "not politically motivated", the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

There would be no change to the decision, Suzuki said, recalling his government's move to not invite Israeli officials to its annual event scheduled for Friday in southwestern Nagasaki.

In a co-ordinated move against Suzuki's decision, envoys of the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the EU — G7 members — have linked their presence with an invitation to Israel, which Nagasaki has refused.

Suzuki's decision has drawn wide support, particularly among young people.

Citing "security reasons" if Israel was invited, Suzuki said he hoped the event would be "conducted smoothly under a solemn atmosphere".

"I will continue to persevere and ask for understanding of the decision as often as necessary," he said.

Standing with Gaza

Each year, over 150 countries and territories send dignitaries to Japan's annual memorial ceremony. This year, Israel was excluded along with Russia and Belarus, who have been omitted since 2022 due to the war inUkraine.

Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki Shiro mentioned that the decision was made due to concerns that the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and public protests against the attacks might disrupt the ceremony.

The move was "not based on political judgment but an intention to conduct the ceremony to console the atomic bomb victims in a peaceful and solemn manner", Suzuki said in a news conference.

However, US Ambassador to Tokyo Rahm Israel Emanuel announced they would skip the memorial ceremony for the atomic bombing anniversary on August 9 due to Japan's decision not to invite Israel to the ceremony.

Rahm Israel Emanuel has stated that although he attended the Hiroshima ceremony, he would not attend the Nagasaki ceremony, expressing his desire not to "politicise the event".

US not sorry for Hiroshima or Gaza

79 years ago, on August 6, 1945, the US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, destroying 90 percent of the city and killing 80,000 people immediately.

Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, where at least 40,000 people were reported dead immediately.

The subsequent effects of the atomic bomb are estimated to have caused the deaths of about 110,000 people, mostly civilians.

For the past 79 years, the White House has never issued an apology for the use of nuclear weapons in Japan.

Moreover, each US president since 1945 has declined to apologise for the bombings of Japan, even though they occasionally paid visits to the Hiroshima Memorial Museum.

Today, the US stands firm in its support of another war crime, which is facing allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In the face of ICJ's interim ruling directing Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, the US has continued to support its ally by providing it with weapons that are used to bomb schools, hospitals and UN-designated humanitarian zones in Gaza.

After 10 months of Israeli assault on Gaza, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to official figures.