Nagasaki Extends Invitation to All Nations for A-Bomb Anniversary

A Call for Global Unity: Nagasaki to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing

In a powerful gesture of global unity and remembrance, the Mayor of Nagasaki announced that the city will extend invitations to representatives “of all countries” and regions to the peace memorial commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing.

The invitation encompasses the 157 countries and regions with diplomatic missions in Japan, including Russia, Belarus, and Israel, who were excluded from the previous year's ceremony.

Mayor Shiro Suzuki emphasized the importance of witnessing the devastating consequences of atomic weapons as a critical lesson during a period marked by increasing global divisions and conflicts. The mayor stated his intention to bring the world together on a day of remembrance and reflection.

The United States dropped its second atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, following the bombing of Hiroshima three days prior. The attacks collectively resulted in over 210,000 fatalities. Japan's surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II and its extensive aggression across Asia.

Mayor Suzuki reaffirmed the "fundamental purpose" of the ceremony: to honor the victims of the atomic bomb and advocate for lasting world peace. He expressed the desire to transcend national boundaries, overcome ideological differences, and welcome global representatives to Nagasaki.

“At a time of worsening divisions of the international society, I feel more strongly than ever about the importance for representatives of all countries to participate in the Nagasaki peace memorial and learn the atrocious and inhumane outcomes of the nuclear weapons use through their own eyes, ears and hearts,” he added.

The previous year's exclusion of Israel, prompted by concerns about potential disruptions from protests related to the war in Gaza, led to criticism and boycotts by ambassadors from the U.S. and five other Group of Seven nations – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK – as well as the European Union.

Russia and its ally Belarus have not been invited to the Nagasaki memorial event since 2022, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Japan, despite being the world’s sole nation to endure nuclear attacks, relies on the U.S. nuclear umbrella and its “extended deterrence” amid escalating regional tensions, thereby supporting atomic weapons for deterrence purposes.