Nagasaki marks 79th A-bomb anniversary as Israel snub overshadows ceremony

Nagasaki marked on Friday the 79th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city in World War II, with its peace ceremony hit by controversy after several ambassadors pulled out following the southwestern Japan city's decision not to invite Israel.

In a Peace Declaration delivered during the annual event, Mayor Shiro Suzuki called for the abolition of nuclear weapons amid mounting concerns over their potential use due to increasing geopolitical uncertainty, but did not directly mention Israel or Palestine.

"Amid uncertainty about when the Russian invasion of Ukraine will come to an end and growing concern about the expansion of armed conflicts in the Middle East, we are currently facing a critical situation with the increased likelihood of the disappearance of the important norm that we have conformed to thus far," he said.

A moment of silence was held at 11:02 a.m., when the plutonium bomb codenamed "Fat Man" was dropped by a U.S. bomber and exploded over the port city in 1945. It remains the last place in the world to have suffered an atomic bomb attack.

Suzuki demanded that the Japanese government sign and ratify a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, and called for Japan to lead discussions to ease tensions and advance disarmament in Northeast Asia.

"Leaders of the nuclear states and states under the nuclear umbrella, you must face up to the reality that the very existence of nuclear weapons has posed an increasing threat to humankind," he said.

"We also call for your dialogue and diplomatic efforts to explore a path toward peaceful solutions, no matter how difficult the path is, instead of choosing a path toward arms expansion or threats of force," Suzuki added.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents a constituency in Hiroshima, will also deliver remarks during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel is skipping the ceremony in response to Nagasaki not inviting Israel, while the British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom announced on Tuesday that she would be absent from the ceremony for similar reasons. The Canadian and French ambassadors have also pulled out over the issue.

A letter to the mayor was revealed on Wednesday showing that the envoys of the European Union and Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States had expressed concerns that the lack of an invitation "would result in placing Israel on the same level as countries such as Russia and Belarus."

Russia and Belarus have not been invited to either the Hiroshima or Nagasaki ceremonies for three consecutive years over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

On July 31 and Thursday again, Suzuki said Israel would not be invited over fears that protests against the country's ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip could affect the ceremony's solemnity, but said the decision was "not political." Palestine, meanwhile, has been invited.

The move is in direct contrast with Hiroshima, which allowed Israeli representation but did not invite Palestine. Hiroshima's decision was criticized by the Palestine representative to Japan and civic groups.

The attack on Nagasaki came three days after a uranium bomb was dropped on Hiroshima some 300 kilometers to the northeast. An estimated 74,000 people were killed by the end of 1945, with many others suffering from the effects of burns and radiation-related illnesses long after the attack.

The combined number of officially recognized survivors of the two nuclear attacks stood at 106,825 as of March this year, down by 6,824 from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Their average age exceeded 85.

Nagasaki marks 79th A-bomb anniversary as Israel snub overshadows ceremony

Nagasaki marks 79th A-bomb anniversary as Israel snub overshadows ceremony

Nagasaki marks 79th A-bomb anniversary as Israel snub overshadows ceremony

Nagasaki marks 79th A-bomb anniversary as Israel snub overshadows ceremony

Nagasaki marks 79th A-bomb anniversary as Israel snub overshadows ceremony