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[Text/Observer Network Yan Shanshan] There is still one day left before the "Atomic Explosion Day" peace prayer ceremony in Nagasaki, Japan on the 9th. Faced with pressure from six members of the Group of Seven (G7) led by the United States and the European Union, the mayor of Nagasaki still refused to invite Israel.

According to reports from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and Kyodo News, on August 8 local time, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki announced that the "decision not to invite Israel remains unchanged", and explained that this move was not due to political reasons, but "I hope the ceremony can be held smoothly in a calm and solemn atmosphere", and therefore took into account the risks of "unexpected incidents".

Palestine has been invited by Nagasaki, and the First Counselor of the Palestinian Mission in Japan is expected to attend the event on the 9th.

Among the G7 members, except Japan, the other six countries and the European Union jointly sent a letter to the Nagasaki City Government on July 19, expressing their concern about Israel not being invited. On August 6, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel again sent a letter to Suzuki Shiro to express his dissatisfaction, saying that "this is a political decision and has nothing to do with security." As of August 7, the US Ambassador to Japan and the British Ambassador to Japan have both expressed their intention to miss the ceremony.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on the 8th that who to invite to the ceremony is decided by the host Nagasaki City, and the Japanese central government has no position to comment on this.

On August 8, Shiro Suzuki attended a press conference and reiterated the position of the Nagasaki City Government and asked for understanding. "I hope the ceremony can be held smoothly in a calm and solemn atmosphere. Although this is a difficult decision, it was decided with such considerations. The judgment has not changed."

Shiro Suzuki explained: "Tomorrow (August 9) is the most important day of the year for Nagasaki City. The average age of atomic bomb survivors is over 85 years old, and some survivors braved the scorching heat to attend. Such a ceremony cannot be affected by various obstacles."

Regarding the countries that have expressed their intention to postpone their attendance at the ceremony, Shiro Suzuki said, "Although it is a bit regrettable, I hope to be able to participate after next year." He also said that these countries are very important countries not only for Nagasaki, but also for the whole of Japan, and he hopes to seize every opportunity to have dialogue.

He said he had verbally explained the reasons for not inviting Israel to the embassies of various countries in Japan that had expressed concerns, "but the result was that they still failed to gain full understanding."

In response, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on the 8th: "The ceremony is hosted by Nagasaki City, and who to invite to the ceremony is decided by the host Nagasaki City. As for whether foreign diplomatic missions will attend the city-sponsored event and the reasons, the central government is not in a position to comment on this."

NHK said that at the ceremony on August 9, Shiro Suzuki will read a peace declaration, which will cover the situation in the Middle East and other issues.

The Asahi Shimbun disclosed on August 7 that six G7 member states including the United States and the United Kingdom and the EU ambassador to Japan stated in a joint letter on July 19 that Nagasaki's move not to invite Israel was to "compare" Israel with Russia and Belarus, which were not invited, and would be "misleading."

According to AFP, a spokesman for the US Embassy said on August 7 that the mayor of Nagasaki's decision not to invite the Israeli ambassador "politicized" the event, and that US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel would not attend the event. The spokesman said that Rahm Emanuel would go to a temple in Tokyo to attend another event that day.

The British Embassy in Japan said on August 7 that British Ambassador to Japan Longbottom would not go to Nagasaki. A spokesman for the French Embassy in Japan said that the decision not to invite Israeli representatives was regrettable and problematic. The spokesman said that the "second in command" of the French Embassy would attend the commemoration.

AFP quoted media reports as saying that Australia, Italy, Canada and the European Union will also follow the example of the United States and Britain.

Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen protested against the Nagasaki City Government for not inviting him to the event on the 9th, saying that the decision had nothing to do with public order and accused Shiro Suzuki of "fabricating this." "I checked with the relevant departments responsible for public order and security, and there are no obstacles for me to go to Nagasaki... He (Shiro Suzuki) hijacked this ceremony for political motives, and I was really surprised."

Japanese media pointed out that Nagasaki's actions were in stark contrast to Hiroshima, which held a ceremony on August 6 to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Israel was invited to attend, but Palestine was not.

In order to urge Japan, which launched a war of aggression, to surrender as soon as possible, the U.S. military dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. For a long time, Japan has portrayed itself as a "victim" of the atomic bombing, but has avoided talking about the reasons for the bombing and its acts of aggression against other countries.

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