Russian envoy to Japan to attend A-bomb ceremony in Nagasaki but not Hiroshima
Russia's ambassador to Japan will attend an annual peace ceremony commemorating the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing in the southwestern city of Nagasaki in August, local media reported Thursday, making it the first such attendance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion against Ukraine in 2022.
The attendance of Nikolay Nozdrev is expected after the Nagasaki city government adopted a more inclusive approach to invitations to the Aug 9 ceremony following last year's controversy over its decision not to invite Israel amid its conflict with Palestinian militants.
Nagasaki had not invited representatives of Russia and its ally Belarus for three straight years over the Ukraine issue. But in May this year, it said all countries and regions with diplomatic missions in Japan would be invited.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki has said the change in stance came as the city decided to bring together representatives from around the world "going beyond national borders and ideological differences," returning to the "fundamental purpose" of the ceremony to mourn the atomic bomb victims and pray for lasting peace.
Last year, the city ended up holding the ceremony in the absence of ambassadors from the United States and other members of the Group of Seven.
The Russian ambassador, however, will not take part in the peace memorial ceremony on Aug 6 in Hiroshima on the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on the western Japanese city, according to the Russian media.
Hiroshima, for its part, said in April that it would no longer issue invitations to envoys for its memorial ceremony but instead notify them of the event.
© KYODO
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