Nagasaki remembers 70,000 victims of atomic bomb — and Gaza

Nagasaki has observed "moment of silence" in a ceremony marking the 1945 atomic bombing of the Japanese city by United States in 1945, but the event was skipped by many Western countries because Nagasaki's mayor declined to invite Israel amid its genocidal war on Gaza.

During the World War 2, an atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people.

A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more.

Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, ending the war and the country’s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. Ahead of the bombing, some reports suggested that between June and July that year Japan was willing to surrender and had attempted to approach Soviets to mediate peace talks with the Americans.

At 11.02 am local time (0202 GMT), the exact moment in 1945 when a USAAF B-29 airplane released the plutonium bomb codenamed "Fat Man" over Nagasaki, the city fell silent in remembrance.

The tragic event is especially significant as Nagasaki remains the last place in history to have suffered an atomic bomb attack.

"The government of Japan, the only state attacked by atomic bombs in war, must express a serious attitude of pursuing a world without nuclear weapons," said Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary.

"As a step toward this, we call for the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible," he said, as quoted by Japan’s Mainichi daily.

He also called for the Japanese government "to firmly uphold the principle of peace embodied in the Constitution of Japan and to demonstrate its leadership in international efforts to ease the heightened tension in Northeast Asia and advance disarmament in the region, such as the Northeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone initiative."

Snub to Israel

Suzuki said his decision not to invite Israel is unchanged despite announcements by the US and five other Group of Seven countries and the European Union that they will send lower-ranked envoys instead of ambassadors to the ceremony.

He defended the decision not to invite Israel to Friday's annual event, repeating that it was "not political" but to avoid possible protests related to the Gaza war. There would be no change to the decision, Suzuki said.

"It is unfortunate that they have communicated to us that their ambassadors are not able to attend," Suzuki told reporters. "We made a comprehensive decision not for political reasons. We want to conduct a smooth ceremony in a peaceful and solemn environment."

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

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.

Hiroshima invites Israeli envoy

US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel's office said he will skip this year's atomic bombing memorial service in Nagasaki because Israel was not invited.

Emanuel will not attend the event because it was "politicised" by Nagasaki's decision not to invite Israel, the embassy said.

He will instead honour the victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing at a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo, it said.

In contrast, Hiroshima invited the Israeli ambassador to Japan to its memorial ceremony on Tuesday, which was attended by 50,000 people including Emanuel and other envoys, though Palestinian representatives were not invited.

Nagasaki officials said they were told that an official of the US Consulate in Fukuoka will represent the United States at Friday's ceremony.

Envoys from the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the UK and the European Union signed a joint letter expressing their shared concern about Israel's exclusion, saying that treating the country on the same level as Russia and Belarus — the only other countries not invited — would be misleading.