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It is regrettable that a precious opportunity to pay tribute to the many victims of an atomic bombing and convey to the world the tragic reality of the catastrophe it caused has been affected by international conflict.
The city of Nagasaki on Friday marked the 79th anniversary of its atomic bombing. A peace ceremony was held in the city, attended by representatives from a record 100 countries and regions as well as the European Union.
“The situation surrounding nuclear disarmament [is becoming] more challenging. Accordingly, now is the time for us to continue with our passionate appeal to the world, ‘Let Nagasaki be the last,’” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
As the only nation to have been hit by atomic bombs, Japan has the responsibility to convey the weapons’ horror and discourage those with nuclear weapons from using them through the ceremonies held every August in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is therefore significant that representatives of many countries attended the latest ceremony.
The Nagasaki city government did not invite Israel, which is continuing its offensive in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki explained, “It was not for political reasons, but because of the risk of unforeseen circumstances.”
Ostensibly, the mayor did not want the ceremony to be disrupted by elements opposed to Israel. In reality, it is widely believed that Suzuki was actually considering the humanitarian crisis that Israel is spreading in Gaza.
Israel was invited to attend the peace memorial ceremony in Hiroshima on Tuesday, and its ambassador to Japan was in attendance. Russia and its ally Belarus, on the other hand, were not invited to either of the Hiroshima or Nagasaki ceremonies.
The ambassadors of Japan’s six partners in the Group of Seven industrialized nations, as well as the EU, did not attend the ceremony in Nagasaki, as Israel was not invited. The six countries and the EU reportedly sent a letter last month to the city, saying treating Israel on the same level as Russia is misleading.
It is understandable that the six countries and the EU argue that Russia, which has unilaterally subjected Ukraine to a campaign of aggression, and Israel, which is exercising its right to self-defense against terrorism by the Islamist group Hamas, should not be treated on the same level.
However, the death toll in Gaza has reached nearly 40,000 and includes children. As many countries have emphasized, it is clear that Israel’s actions have gone beyond the scope of its right to self-defense.
It is not surprising that those from Nagasaki — a city which suffered devastating damage from an atomic bomb — felt disgusted by Israel’s inhumane actions and did not want to invite the country to the peace ceremony.
However, a situation where the incident spreads a false impression in the international community that Japan is anti-Israel or anti-Semitic must be avoided. The government needs to pay attention to the opinion of the international community.
