US Ambassador Protests Exclusion of Israeli Counterpart from Nagasaki Bombing Memorial

The US Ambassador and several other Western ambassadors in Japan protested by not attending the annual memorial ceremony for the victims of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, due to the exclusion of the Israeli ambassador. Seventy-nine years after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the memorial ceremony titled 'Gathering for Peace' was held on Friday, August 10. Ram Emanuel, the US Ambassador to Japan, and ambassadors from several other Western countries, including Britain, stated that the exclusion of Israel, similar to the treatment of Russia and Belarus, is 'misleading.' The US Embassy also condemned the exclusion of Israel as a 'political' act. Organizers had previously informed the Israeli ambassador in Tokyo that they refrained from inviting him due to concerns about protests from anti-war demonstrators regarding the Gaza conflict following his attendance. According to the Associated Press, local officials are worried about potential protests related to the Gaza war. Shiro Suzuki, the mayor of Nagasaki, commented on the exclusion of Gilad Cohen, the Israeli ambassador to Japan, stating that given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and international sentiments, there were concerns about unpredictable disruptions at the ceremony. Mr. Suzuki said a day before the ceremony that the exclusion was 'absolutely not for political reasons.' He added that the absence of ambassadors from several countries is 'disappointing.' Israeli representatives were banned from entering the Paris International Arms Exhibition. Ambassadors from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the US, as well as the senior representative of the European Union in Japan, wrote in a joint letter that if Israel is excluded from the ceremony, their participation at high levels would be difficult. All these countries sent representatives at a lower level to the ceremony. The US Ambassador attended another event honoring the victims of Nagasaki at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo alongside the Israeli ambassador. Officials from over 150 countries were among the invitees to the memorial ceremony on Friday in Nagasaki. The Japanese government spokesperson refrained from commenting on the stance of Western countries, attributing it to the organizers of the ceremony in Nagasaki. The deadly attack by the extremist group Hamas on Israeli territory last October, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages, prompted Israel's response with an attack on the Gaza Strip, which has so far left nearly 40,000 dead, with no signs of its end. The continuation of Israel's attack in Gaza has led to ongoing protests from the families of Hamas hostages and has fueled global protests against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. In the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by the US military on August 9, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, between 40,000 and 74,000 people died. The explosion of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki occurred three days after a similar atomic attack on the city of Hiroshima, which led to the city's fall. Hiroshima was devastated in the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945, resulting in 140,000 casualties. Local officials in Hiroshima had invited the Israeli ambassador to this year's memorial ceremony for the victims of the city. Japan surrendered six days after the second atomic bombing of its cities on August 15, 1945, marking the end of World War II in Asia.