Hiroshima's New Method Over Peace Ceremony Attendees to Be Tested; City Hopes to Avoid Past Criticisms on 80th Anniversary
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
People line up to offer prayers in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, on Aug. 6, 2024.
HIROSHIMA — The Hiroshima city government has changed its method of gathering foreign attendees for its annual peace memorial ceremony following criticisms over which countries are invited. However, whether the new method will be effective remains uncertain amid the complex international situation.
For the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings this year, the city has sent letters — not invitations — to all countries and regions with which Japan has diplomatic ties or channels, informing them about the Aug.6 ceremony.
Letter, not invitation
'We hope that the decision to attend is based on the understanding of 'the Spirit of Hiroshima,' [which is the idea of working] toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace,' Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said at a press conference in April when the change was announced.
The letters were sent to 196 countries and regions, as well as Delegation of the European Union to Japan, on May 23.
The recipients were categorized into three groups: countries and regions with embassies or representative divisions in Japan; countries with no embassies but with permanent missions to the United Nations; and other countries and regions wishing to attend.
Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine are a part of the first group. Taiwan, which was not invited in previous years because Japan does not recognize it as a country, was included in the third group.
Until last year, invitations had been sent, in principle, to all countries recognized by the Japanese government and to countries that have not signed or joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Last year, the city sent invitations to 166 countries.
In previous years, the invitations were addressed to the heads of state or ambassadors of each country. This year, the letters did not specify the recipients and only expressed the thoughts of the atomic bomb survivors and the purpose of the event.
'Best possible way'
The ceremony was first held in 1947 as Peace Festival, and the city began inviting countries to the event in 1998. Following nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan in May 1998, invitations were sent to the seven nuclear-armed countries, including those two nations.
For the 60th anniversary in 2005, invitations were sent to countries other than nuclear-armed nations. Since 2006, all countries approved by the Japanese government were invited. However, in 2022, the city decided not to invite Russia — due to its aggression against Ukraine — and Belarus, which supports Russia.
Hiroshima sought the Foreign Ministry's opinion and was told that '[inviting Russia and Belarus] is inappropriate as it could lead to misunderstandings about Japan's stance,' according to documents obtained by The Yomiuri Shimbun through a public records request to the city.
As the ministry's position was unchanged in 2023 and 2024, and the city did not invite the two nations for three consecutive years.
Last year's ceremony drew criticism, as the city invited Israel, which has been attacking Gaza since October 2023.
Unlike Russia, whose diplomats in Japan were asked to leave by the Japanese government, Israeli diplomats remain in Japan. A city official claimed that the city's policy 'made sense' under the circumstances, but residents criticized the move as being a double standard.
The backlash prompted Hiroshima to make the change.
'We must avoid what happened last year on the 80th anniversary,' a city official said. 'We chose the best possible way.'
Each country's decision
Given that it will be up to each country on whether to attend, ambassadors from warring areas may gather for the ceremony.
At the April press conference, Matsui said the letter did 'not focus on whether they were warring parties but on how to convey our message.'
At last year's Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on Aug. 9, ambassadors from the Group of Seven countries, except Japan, and others boycotted the ceremony to protest against Israel's exclusion from the invitation list.
Some twists and turns may be expected depending on which countries decide to attend the ceremony this year.
Mixed feedback
Atomic bomb survivor Toshiyuki Mimaki, 83, who represents Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which received last year's Nobel Peace Prize, praised the city's decision as a good solution to avoiding criticism over which countries are asked to attend.
'I hope countries and regions with different ideologies and beliefs gather to reflect on what occurred 80 years ago,' Mimaki said.
On the other hand, Takashi Hiraoka, 97, who was the mayor of Hiroshima between 1991-99, said the decision 'lacks initiative.'
'Recipients might be confused about whether Hiroshima wants them to come,' Hiraoka said. '[The change] has made it difficult to convey the city's true intentions, as well as its seriousness, to other countries.'
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