Hiroshima Ends Invitation to Peace Ceremony

City of Hiroshima decided not to invite the representatives of foreign countries to its Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th this year. Concerning controversy over whether the city should invite the countries that are involved in a war, namely Russia, Belarus or Israel, the mayor hoped to get back to the beginning of ceremony, urging all the countries to pray for eternal peace. 

On August 6th,1947, two years after atomic bombing by the United States, Hiroshima held “peace festival” to commemorate victims of the bomb and to express its desire for peace. Although the festival was intermitted in 1950, due to start of Korean War, it was resumed as peace memorial ceremony in 1951. It became usual that mayor of Hiroshima delivers peace declaration and Prime Minister of Japan attends the ceremony.

 

Since 1998 when India and Pakistan exercised nuclear test, City of Hiroshima has been sending invitation to the Ambassador to Japan from India, Pakistan and five nuclear countries: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China. It has been sending invitation to all the Ambassadors which countries have Embassy in Japan since 2006.

 

The city sent invitation to Ambassadors of 166 countries and European Union in 2024. Hiroshima has not sent invitation to the ambassadors from Russia and Belarus since 2022, protesting Russia’s aggression to Ukraine. Ministry for Foreign Affairs instructed that invitation to Russia and Belarus would contradict the policy of government of Japan, that firmly accused Russia of its violation of international laws.

 

On the other hand, the city invited Ambassador from Israel, which waged war against Hamas in Palestine, since October 2023. The sufferers of atomic bomb in Hiroshima criticized the attitude of City of Hiroshima as double standard. City of Nagasaki did not invite Israel to their Memorial Peace Ceremony on August 9th, 2024, and the United States and the United Kingdom boycotted the ceremony.

 

City of Hiroshima reached a conclusion that it would send “guidance” to its ceremony, instead of invitation, to the Ambassadors to Japan. The guidance will be sent in late May, requesting attendance with recognition of sentiment of Hiroshima, which hopes no more hibakusha in the future.

 

The hibakushas in Hiroshima basically welcomed decision of the city, which paved the way to all the Ambassadors to attend the peace ceremony. There are some, however, who are worried about degradation of the ceremony for peace by attendance of representatives of countries that are waging war.

 

City of Nagasaki has not decided whether it will send invitation to the Ambassadors this year. The situation of international politics does not allow two cities holding peace ceremony to reconfirm inhumanity of nuclear weapons.

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