Politics & Government

Hiroshima Not to Invite Russia, Belarus to 2024 Peace Ceremony

The Yomiuri Shimbun
People walk in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Monday.

Jiji Press

16:45 JST, April 25, 2024

Hiroshima (Jiji Press)—The atomic-bombed western Japan city of Hiroshima said Wednesday that it will not invite Russia and Belarus to its annual peace memorial ceremony on Aug. 6.

The two countries have not been invited to the Hiroshima peace ceremony since 2022, when Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine.

“If we invite them, it could affect the smooth holding of the ceremony,” Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui told a regular press conference. “We cannot say the situation has changed, so we will continue with the same stance this year..”

Hiroshima plans to send letters to the two countries next month, asking them to resolve the fighting soon and visit Hiroshima.

Meanwhile, the city plans to invite Israel, which continues fighting in Gaza, to the peace ceremony.

The Japanese city was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, in the closing days of World War II.