For the third consecutive year, Russia and Belarus will not be invited to the commemoration of the anniversary of the atomic bomb to be held on August 6 in the city of Hiroshima, while the invitation will be extended to Israel.
This was anticipated by the online newspaper Asahi Shimbun, which cites sources familiar with the dossier, explaining that the representatives of Russia and Belarus will be considered “persona non grata” at the annual ceremony at the Peace Memorial, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“The situation has not changed compared to last year, and for this reason we will implement the same decisions,” a city administration official told Asahi, with the central government having already been informed of the decision.
Hiroshima, however, plans to invite a representative from Israel – which has been engaged in a war against the Islamic militant group Hamas since October, the Asahi reports.
“There is currently no shared opinion in the countries of the world on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. For this reason we want to send a message of peace by inviting Israel”, say the sources.
In 2023, for the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Hiroshima requested the presence of the leaders and ambassadors of 167 countries. On the morning of August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped by the US B29 bomber ‘Enola Gay’, causing the death of approximately 140,000 residents. A second bomb was used on Nagasaki on August 9, with a death toll of 74,000, effectively decreeing the end of the Second World War a few days later, with the unconditional surrender of Japan.
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