Israeli ambassador "strongly dissatisfied" with not being invited
2024-08-07
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According to CNN on August 5, Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Nagasaki City Government because the other party refused to invite him to attend the 79th anniversary ceremony of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen
The report said that Nagasaki's decision was in stark contrast to another Japanese city, Hiroshima, which held a memorial ceremony on the 6th and invited Israeli officials to attend.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip during Israel's military operations. CNN pointed out that Hiroshima and Nagasaki have come under pressure from activists and atomic bomb survivor groups, who have called for Israeli officials not to be invited to the commemoration ceremony. Russia and Belarus had previously been disinvited because of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and these activists believe that Hiroshima and Nagasaki should do the same with Israel.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki explained last week that Israel's exclusion from the August 9 commemorations was due to security concerns, not a political decision. "I would like to emphasize that this decision was not based on political considerations, but on the desire to hold the ceremony in a peaceful and solemn atmosphere to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombing and to ensure that the ceremony proceeds smoothly," he said, calling the decision "difficult."
However, Israeli Ambassador Cohen disagreed with this statement. He told CNN reporters on the 5th, "This has nothing to do with public order... I have verified with the relevant departments responsible for public order and security (in Japan), and there are no obstacles for me to go to Nagasaki." He accused the mayor of Nagasaki of "fabricating this" and said, "I am really surprised that he hijacked the ceremony for political motives."
The report said that Cohen did not disclose more reasons why he believed there were no security issues, citing confidentiality. But he pointed out that the Hiroshima City Government had no objection to the security of Israeli representatives attending the ceremony. In the interview, he did not disclose whether the Israeli Embassy in Japan had formally made representations to the Japanese government, but called Japan "Israel's ally."
The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed by US atomic bombs on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively. Both cities hold commemorative events every year and invite foreign envoys to attend.
