4 days ago
Nagasaki considering Taiwan's request to attend A-bomb ceremony
KYODO NEWS - 5 minutes ago - 19:28 | World, All, Japan
The mayor of Nagasaki said Monday he is considering how to respond to Taiwan's request to attend this year's ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city in August.
Taiwan, which has never been officially invited to the memorial event, has expressed its wish to join for the first time, according to the city. Mayor Shiro Suzuki did not disclose details regarding Taipei's request or specify when the city would respond.
Nagasaki plans to send invitations to all countries and regions that have diplomatic missions in Japan or representative offices at the United Nations. Taiwan does not fall into either category.
Suzuki said last month that the southwestern Japan city's policy remains unchanged, drawing a contrast with Hiroshima, which indicated it would add the island to the list of participants of the city's memorial event after Taipei expressed its wish to join.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and three days later in Nagasaki killed more than 200,000 people by the end of that year. Each year, the cities hold memorial ceremonies to mourn the victims and pray for lasting peace.
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