Hiroshima citizens, hibakusha criticize U.S., U.K. ambassadors’ non-attendance at Nagasaki peace memorial ceremony
Aug. 8, 2024
“Lack of awareness of responsibility”
by Michio Shiomotaka, Minami Yamashita and Keiichi Nobira, Staff Writers
After United States and United Kingdom ambassadors to Japan decided not to attend the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony to be held on August 9, citizens and A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima on August 7 criticized them one after another for their pro-Israel stance and for bringing international politics into the ceremony consoling the spirits of victims. The countries decided to skip the Nagasaki ceremony on the grounds Israel was not invited.
“As conflicts continue in the world, this could happen every year,” said Toshiyuki Mimaki, 82, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), deploring the confusion surrounding the ceremony for mourning the A-bomb victims and praying for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons.
“It has become clear which countries are trying to protect human rights,” said Masae Yuasa, 61, of the Hiroshima-Palestine Vigil Community, a civic group protesting Israel’s invasion into Gaza, a Palestinian autonomous territory. She condemned the U.S., U.K., and other countries that have acted in concert with Israel despite the fact the number of deaths, including children, is increasing.
Ambassadors to Japan from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations, excluding Japan, had sent a letter to Nagasaki expressing their concern about not inviting Israel. Yuta Takahashi, 23, head of Katawara, a Yokohama-based group calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, said, “Whatever the G7 nations say, the Nagasaki city government has taken a consistent stance.” The non-attendance of ambassadors from nuclear weapon states, including the U.S., which dropped the atomic bombs “shows a lack of awareness of responsibility,” said Mr. Takahashi, a resident of Yokohama who is originally from Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture.
The City of Hiroshima invited Israel to attend the Peace Memorial Ceremony held on August 6, and the ambassador attended the ceremony along with the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Kunihiko Sakuma, 79, chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, said, “As an A-bomb survivor, I want people to know what the atomic bombings caused. All countries and regions should be invited so that the ceremony will not be used for political bargaining.” The city of Hiroshima commented that it is not in a position to judge what has happened in Nagasaki.
(Originally published on August 8, 2024)
