Latest news with #ShiroSuzuki
Kyodo News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
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. Related coverage: Over 90 nations call for preserving A-bomb memories in U.N. meeting Japan imperial couple mourn Iwoto war dead in WWII 80th anniv. visit
4 days ago
- Politics
Taiwan Asks to Attend Nagasaki Peace Ceremony
News from Japan Society Jun 2, 2025 17:52 (JST) Nagasaki, June 2 (Jiji Press)--Taiwan has asked to attend the Nagasaki peace memorial ceremony in the southwestern Japan city scheduled for Aug. 9, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said Monday. City officials are considering their response as this is the first such request from Taiwan. Over the annual event to remember victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the city plans to send invitations to 157 countries and regions that have diplomatic relations with Japan by the end of this month, along with letters to announce the event to countries and regions with permanent missions to the United Nations. Taiwan is not included in either list. 'We're considering (our response) carefully, as we received an individual request' from Taiwan, Suzuki told a regular press conference. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
17-05-2025
- Politics
Hiroshima, Nagasaki Take Different Approaches on Taiwan
News from Japan Society May 17, 2025 18:30 (JST) Hiroshima/Nagasaki, May 17 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are taking different approaches regarding Taiwan over their annual peace ceremonies remembering the U.S. atomic bombings in 1945. Hiroshima plans to send a notice of its Aug. 6 ceremony to Taiwan, city officials said Thursday. The city said last month that, starting this year, it would no longer issue invitations to the ceremony, instead sending a notice of it in hopes of further spreading Hiroshima's spirit worldwide. Initially, the city planned to send a notice to a total of 195 countries and regions with diplomatic establishments in Japan or missions to the United Nations. However, it has decided to send a notice to Taiwan as well, since it confirmed Taiwan's willingness to attend the ceremony, the officials said. Meanwhile, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki reiterated at a press conference on Friday that the southwestern city will neither invite Taiwan to its Aug. 9 ceremony nor send a notice to the self-governing island. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Asahi Shimbun
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Nagasaki seeks to warn of ‘nuclear taboo' in annual message
The drafting committee for this year's Nagasaki Peace Declaration meets in the city on May 10. (Yuta Kayaba) NAGASAKI—As the city prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing in three months, a committee planning the annual peace message wants to incorporate the term "nuclear taboo." 'It is essential to send a strong message to all nations, including those currently involved in conflicts,' said Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, who chairs the drafting committee for this year's Nagasaki Peace Declaration. The committee held its first meeting on May 10. It has 15 members, including survivors of the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack on the city, as well as scholars and other experts. During the meeting, members discussed including references to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded last year to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), particularly highlighting the Nobel Committee's emphasis on the moral 'taboo' against nuclear weapons. In addition to condemning the use of nuclear weapons, several committee members advocated for a taboo against possessing any at all. There was also a proposal to include remarks made by the late Pope Francis during his visit to Nagasaki in 2019, honoring his message of peace and disarmament. The committee also expressed growing concern over the recent tensions between India and Pakistan—both nuclear powers—with one member warning of the potential for uncontrollable escalation. The panel will meet twice more in the coming months before finalizing the statement. Suzuki announced at a news conference on May 8 that Nagasaki plans to invite officials from Russia and Israel to the upcoming peace ceremony. Russia has not been invited since 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, while Israel was excluded from the 2024 guest list amid the conflict in Gaza.
Asahi Shimbun
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Nagasaki to invite Russia, Israel to A-bomb memorial event
Last year's Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony was held in the city on Aug. 9, 2024, to commemorate the anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) NAGASAKI—In a break from last year's snubs, the city government here will invite Russia, Belarus and Israel to the annual Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony, Mayor Shiro Suzuki announced at a May 8 news conference. 'We'd like every country to gather for the ceremony in Nagasaki, where an atomic bomb was dropped, despite all the divisions,' Suzuki said. The choice is a departure from the city's stance last year where the three were not invited. Israel's exclusion earned the city criticism and backlash from countries including the United States and Britain. Both nations' ambassadors and those from four other major countries and the EU skipped the 2024 ceremony. Each year, the city sends invitations to foreign diplomatic missions in Japan for its annual peace ceremony that is held on the Aug. 9 anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. However, since 2022 it has refrained from inviting Russia and Belarus because of the Russian invasion to Ukraine. Israel was added to this list last year in light of its continued attacks on Gaza in Palestine; organizers were concerned about potential protests and other unpredictable risks during the ceremony. Rahm Emanuel, then-U.S. ambassador to Japan, argued this was not the case and the snub was for political reasons rather than security risks. Suzuki said the reason for this year's change was made based on his experience attending the third Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The meeting of the committee was held at the U.N. headquarters in New York from April 28 to May 9. Suzuki felt the international situation around realizing a world without nuclear weapons was "extremely severe" during the meeting. 'I want them to witness and feel, with their eyes, ears and hearts, the cruel and inhumane consequences of nuclear weapons in today's deeply divided world,' he said. The city plans to invite a total of 157 countries and regions to this year's event. Bag checks and increased security are part of its risk management plan and it hopes to carry out the ceremony in a solemn and peaceful setting. Hiroshima, which was bombed three days before Nagasaki, did not invite Russia and Belarus to its annual ceremony last year. The city was criticized for its "double standard" in choosing to welcome Israel. This year, it is changing its system of extending "invitations" and will instead "notify" entities of the event.
