U.S. envoy to skip Nagasaki A-bomb ceremony after Israel not invited
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will not represent the United States at the annual Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on Friday and will instead attend a ceremony in Tokyo. | Nagasaki decided not to invite the Israeli ambassador to the event at the city’s Peace Park on the basis of security concerns, with some ambassadors expressing concern over the decision. Activists and A-bomb survivor groups had been pressuring the city not to invite Israel. Nagasaki did invite Palestine to the annual event. [...] British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom has said that she will not be attending the Nagasaki ceremony. She said that the city’s decision could send the wrong message, as Israel could be viewed as being treated the same way as Russia.