Israel not invited to ceremony commemorating 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki

Tokyo CNN —

Israel will not be invited to this year’s peace ceremony commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki to promote a “peaceful and somber atmosphere” at the August 9 event, the city’s mayor told local media Wednesday.

The decision contrasts with that of Hiroshima, whose authorities told CNN last month they had no intention of retracting Israel’s invitation to their own peace event, despite calls for the country to be sidelined.

Both cities had been under pressure from activists and bomb survivor groups to exclude Israel due to its actions in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israeli began targeting militant group Hamas following the October 7 attack.

Nagasaki’s mayor Shiro Suzuki told reporters Wednesday that Israel’s exclusion was due to security concerns and was not a political decision.

“I would like to emphasize that this decision was not based on political considerations, but rather on our desire to hold the ceremony to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombings in a peaceful and solemn atmosphere, and to ensure that the ceremony goes smoothly,” he said, calling the decision “difficult.”

The arrangement differs with Hiroshima, the first city hit with an atomic bomb during the closing stages of World War II, that ultimately led to Japan’s unconditional surrender.

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Every year diplomats are invited to peace ceremonies in both cities, held within days of each other, to reflect on the importance of peace and perils of deploying nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima’s annual peace ceremony is the larger of the two and representatives from 115 countries and the European Union are set to attend this