British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom explained that her decision was because the city did not invite Israel to attend. Longbottom told reporters that unlike Russia, which invaded Ukraine, and Belarus, which cooperated in the invasion, Israel is exercising its right to self-defense. So, treating Israel in the same manner would be misleading, she said

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will also skip the Nagasaki peace ceremony. According to the U.S. Embassy, Emanuel does not want to politicize the Nagasaki event.

the envoys of Group of Seven nations, except for Japan, and the European Union said that if Israel was excluded from the invited countries, it would be difficult to send high-ranking officials to attend the ceremony.

Totally not politicized. I guess supporting Israel is a better look than opposing nuclear warfare.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 7 points 3 months ago

opposing nuclear warfare.

Especially bad look considering who dropped that bomb and who remains the sole party to ever used nuclear weapon against humans.

[–] Waveform@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

the envoys of Group of Seven nations, except for Japan, and the European Union said that if Israel was excluded from the invited countries, it would be difficult to send high-ranking officials to attend the ceremony.

Difficult != impossible. It's like they think they can't simply make a good choice. That kind of thinking keeps us in perpetual conflict.

This country (the US) is messed up. Watching the events in Gaza since last October only solidifies my opinion.

Before Biden got Covid this last time, I sent a message to the White House about the Israel/Gaza conflict. I was pefectly reasonable. Just this morning I finally got a reply. They mentioned the 1300 dead in Israel on Oct 7th, but no mention of the countless dead in Gaza since then. They talked about Hamas in the context of terrorism, but not the IDF. They talked about doing this or that to help Palestinians, but I know it's all bullshit. I guess I was hoping my letter might actually reach people who matter, and possibly ignite a spark of conscience behind their dead eyes, but it seems there is no stopping the machine of death.

One of these days this country will have its own Hiroshima/Nagasaki moment, and I wonder: how many - if any - will watch the fall of the US without some measure of relief?