Top envoys to Japan set to skip Nagasaki A-bomb ceremony after Israel not invited
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (left) attends a U.S.-Japan ministerial meeting on extended deterrence in Tokyo on July 28. | Reuters
By Kathleen Benoza
Staff writer
SHARE
Aug 7, 2024
The U.S. and U.K ambassadors to Japan will sit out the annual memorial ceremony marking the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on Friday after the city decided not to invite the Israeli ambassador in what has become an increasingly politicized peace ceremony.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will not attend the event in Nagasaki and will instead attend a smaller-scale ceremony in Tokyo, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday.
An embassy spokesperson said the rationale behind the move was that Emanuel wished to honor and commemorate the day, but does not want to “be involved in a politicized event.” The U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka said in a statement that Principal Officer Chuka Asike will instead represent the U.S. at the ceremony.
Meanwhile, British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom reportedly said Tuesday that she will also not attend the ceremony, saying doing so might send the wrong message, as Israel could be viewed as being treated the same way as Russia, which has not been invited to the Nagasaki event or a similar one in Hiroshima since its invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
Both Emanuel and Longbottom and Israeli ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen attended this year’s ceremony in Hiroshima on Tuesday.
Amid pressure from activists and hibakusha groups, Nagasaki decided not to invite the Israeli ambassador, citing security concerns.
Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza following the deadly Oct. 7 attack on the country by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Nagasaki has invited the Palestinian envoy in Tokyo to the ceremony.
A number of envoys to Japan — including those from Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union — have voiced concern over Nagasaki’s decision, sending a letter to Mayor Shiro Suzuki last month stating that not inviting Israel would be lumping the Middle Eastern country in with countries such as Russia and Belarus, the only countries not invited.
Suzuki told reporters on July 31 that the decision was driven by a desire to hold the event in “a peaceful and somber atmosphere,” denying that there had been any political motive behind the move.
In Tokyo on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, told a news conference that the government is “not in a position to comment” on Longbottom’s absence, calling the issue one for the Nagasaki local government to decide. Those remarks came ahead of the announcement that Emanuel would also skip the ceremony.
No comments:
Post a Comment