Israeli ambassador to Japan disinvited from Nagasaki ceremony; mayor insists not based on 'political considerations'

The Israeli ambassador to Japan was disinvited from Nagasaki's ceremony commemorating the 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb detonation during World War II. Scheduled for this Friday, the event is traditionally an apolitical occasion aimed at promoting peace and opposing nuclear proliferation.

However, the Nagasaki mayor's decision to not invite Japan's Israeli ambassador, Gilad Cohen, has raised questions and concerns about the political implications of the move.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki stated that the 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.” 

However, invitations to the event were sent to the Palestinian Authority, as well as Iran, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, China and Myanmar and Afghanistan.

Notably, in June, Suzuki sent a letter to the Israeli embassy calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. 

A report in the Japan Times disputed Suzuki’s claim that the exclusion of the Israeli ambassador was due to “political considerations.” The report highlighted that Iran, despite its ongoing support for terrorism and poor human rights record, was still invited.

“Israel’s exclusion is, in fact, a political decision – and a poor one at that,” the article stated. “It sends the absolute wrong message to the perpetrators and supporters of the most heinous crimes, to the deliberate targeting and slaughter and rape of innocent civilians, to terrorist actors and terrorist states.” 

Following the decision to exclude the Cohen from joining the commemoration ceremony in Nagasaki, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel announced he would not attend but would instead participate in a ceremony being held in Tokyo, along with Cohen.

British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom noted that not inviting Israel to the event "creates an unfortunate and misleading equivalency with Russia and Belarus – the only other countries not invited to this year's ceremony.”  

Longbottom stated she would not attend the ceremony. 

The ambassadors of several other Western countries are also expected to skip the ceremony in response to Japan's snub.

Ambassadors from France, Germany, Italy and Canada will reportedly boycott the ceremony as well, sending junior diplomats instead. 

A spokesperson for the French embassy told AFP news the "decision not to invite the representative of Israel is regrettable and questionable.” 

Cohen attended a related event in Hiroshima on Tuesday.