US ambassador to skip Nagasaki atomic bombing memorial over Israel's exclusion and invitation to Iran

Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan, will not attend the annual Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on Friday (Aug 9) because Israel was not invited, reported the Japan Times on Wednesday.

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Cohen was not invited to the 79th anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing due to security concerns, according to a separate Times report that quoted Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki.

Suzuki said that the decision aims to keep the ceremony peaceful and centred on honouring the victims. However, some critics argue that excluding Israel is a political move that undermines the fight against terrorism and global unity, the report said.

The decision to leave out Cohen from Nagasaki’s atomic bomb commemoration, while including representatives from countries with serious human rights issues, has sparked concerns, according to the Times.

The report also saidthat the claim that Japanese police couldn't secure the event "is hard to believe," and the decision to exclude Israel appears unfair.

Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, China, Myanmar, and Afghanistan, were among those invited and areknown for significant human rights abuses. Most notably, the media reportpointed out, that the Iranian ambassador was included despite Tehran being labelled as a major sponsor of terrorism by the United States and its allies.

Iran’s backing of militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah stands in stark contrast to the peace-promoting purpose of the event, underscoring the "irony of this decision," the article noted.

According to the Times, Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is directly opposed to the ceremony’s aim to remember and denounce such arms.

The Japan Times reported that Mayor Suzuki’s choice to invite a Palestinian representative but not Israel led to US Ambassador Emanuel skipping the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on Friday in favour of attending another event in Tokyo.

The US Embassy stated that Emanuel opted out of attending the event because he did not wish to endorse its political matters.

British Ambassador Julia Longbottom will also be absent, explaining that attending might incorrectly equate Israel with Russia. The Israeli ambassador participated in a similar ceremony in Hiroshima earlier this week.

(With inputs from agencies)