For the third consecutive year, Russia and Belarus will not be invited to the commemoration of the anniversary of the atomic bomb to be held on August 6 in the city of Hiroshima, while the invitation will be extended to Israel.
This was anticipated by the online newspaper Asahi Shimbun, which cites sources with knowledge of the dossier, explaining that representatives of Russia and Belarus will be considered "persona non grata" at the annual Peace Memorial ceremony, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
"The situation has not changed compared to last year, and for this reason we will implement the same decisions," a city administration official told Asahi, with the central government having already been informed of the decision.
Hiroshima, however, intends to invite a representative from Israel - which has been engaged in a war against the Islamic militant group Hamas since October, reports the Asahi.
"There is currently no shared opinion in the countries of the world on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. For this reason, we want to send a message of peace by inviting Israel", say the sources.
In 2023, for the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Hiroshima had requested the presence of the leaders and ambassadors of 167 countries. On the morning of 6 August 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped by the US B29 bomber 'Enola Gay', causing the death of approximately 140,000 residents. The second bomb was used on Nagasaki on 9 August, with a death toll of 74,000, effectively decreeing the end of the Second World War a few days later, with unconditional surrender. of Japan.