Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki on Aug. 8 again denied any political message behind his decision not to invite Israel to the Peace Memorial Ceremony commemorating victims of the 1945 atomic bombing.

The snub has prompted the ambassadors of the United States and Britain to skip the event scheduled for Aug. 9.

“The true meaning (for not inviting Israel) has not been conveyed,” Suzuki told reporters. “We want to hold the ceremony in a peaceful and solemn atmosphere.”

Japan has seen various public protests demanding Israel end its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has led to thousands of civilian casualties.

Atomic bomb survivors had also called on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities not to send invitations to Israel over the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Mayor Suzuki on Aug. 8 confirmed that he received a letter on July 25 from the ambassadors of six countries--the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Canada--as well as the European Union, expressing their “concern” about Israel not being invited.

The mayor said he contacted each embassy and sought their understanding.

Nagasaki typically sends out invitations to the peace ceremony to all embassies in Japan from late May to early June.

The city has not invited Russia and its ally, Belarus, since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In June this year, Nagasaki withheld its invitation to Israel due to “the risk of unexpected incidents occurring during the ceremony, given the critical humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and international opinion.”

Taking into account the feelings of atomic bomb survivors, Nagasaki sent a letter on June 7 to Gilad Cohen, the Israeli ambassador to Japan, calling for an immediate cease-fire.

“The residents of the atomic bombed city are deeply saddened,” the letter said.

Nagasaki kept the option open for inviting Israel, also saying in the letter, “If we determine that the ceremony could be conducted safely and smoothly, we will send an invitation promptly.”

On July 31, however, Suzuki decided not to invite Israel, citing the ongoing conflict.

“This decision is not a political one but is based on our hope to hold the ceremony peacefully, solemnly and smoothly,” he said.

Ambassador Cohen did attend the Aug. 6 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said at a news conference on Aug. 1 that the invitation to Israel was “in line with past practices.”

According to Nagasaki city, representatives from around 100 countries and regions had confirmed their attendance for the ceremony by Aug. 2, which would make it the largest number of participating nations ever.

At that time, the Nagasaki mayor said, “I want this ceremony to be a place where people from around the world can come together and pray for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.”

RELUCTANCE TO INVITE ISRAEL

Masao Tomonaga, 81, president of the Nagasaki Prefecture Hibakusha Health Handbook Holders’ Association, said “it’s regrettable that the ceremony, meant to be a place for prayer,” has been affected by political issues.

“The mayor was concerned about local opposition and potential unexpected incidents if Israel was invited, but it resulted in unintended reactions,” he said.

The strong reluctance of atomic bomb survivors influenced Nagasaki’s decision not to invite Israel.

“Our view is that we don’t want to invite a country that engages in war and alludes to the potential threat of using nuclear weapons,” Shigemitsu Tanaka, 83, president of Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, said.

The Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organization and others had also asked the city to retract the invitation to the Jewish state.

Toshiyuki Mimaki, 82, chair of the organization, said, “We would like the city to invite all countries equally, but inviting Israel while excluding Russia and Belarus makes it seem like the city is supporting Israel.”

He also questioned the absence of the ambassador of the United States, which dropped the atomic bomb, from the Nagasaki ceremony.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki have continuously urged world leaders to visit the atomic bombed cities to understand the realities of nuclear weapons.

Hiroshi Harada, 85, a hibakusha who is a former director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, said, “The ceremony is an important opportunity for reflecting on the devastation caused by the atomic bombing.”

Harada had met with high-ranking officials from various countries as the museum director. In June this year, he also spoke with a grandson of J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the U.S. atomic bomb development program during World War II.

“The devastation caused by the atomic bomb 79 years ago is still not accurately understood by people in the United States,” Harada said. “Nuclear-armed countries, especially the United States, should attend the ceremony and reflect on the significance of the atomic bombings.”

(This article was written by Takashi Ogawa and Akari Uozumi.)