Israel envoy to attend Nagasaki A-bomb ceremony after 2024 snub
KYODO NEWS - 9 minutes ago - 23:12 | All, Japan, World
Israel will attend the peace ceremony marking the anniversary of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki in August, the country's ambassador has said, after the Middle Eastern nation was not invited last year.
Ambassador of Israel to Japan Gilad Cohen revealed he had received an invitation from the mayor of Nagasaki during a press conference Friday. He said he will show Israel's "respect to the Japanese people" and "mutual understanding of the importance of peace."
It comes after the Nagasaki city government did not invite Israel in 2024 amid its conflict with Palestinian militants in Gaza. In response, ambassadors from the Group of Seven nations other than Japan pulled out of the annual ceremony.
For this year's event, marking 80 years since the bombing, the city government said in May it intends to adopt a more inclusive approach inviting representatives from all the diplomatic missions in Japan.
On Thursday, Russian media said Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdrev will attend the ceremony, the first presence from the country since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Related coverage:
Iran envoy urges A-bombed Japan to stand against U.S. attacks
Russian envoy to Japan to attend A-bomb ceremony in Nagasaki in Aug.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Russian drones kill 2 and injure 17 in Odesa as Ukraine destroys helicopters in Crimea
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight, killing two people and injuring at least 17, Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday. Meanwhile, three attack helicopters and an anti-aircraft missile system were destroyed in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine's Security Service agency deployed special drones to attack the Kirovske military airfield, a Ukrainian security official said on Saturday. "Available data indicate the destruction of multi-purpose and attack helicopters Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28, as well as the self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun complex Pantsir-S1," according to the official, who spoke about the operation on condition of anonymity. In Odesa, a drone slammed into a residential tower block in the city, causing damage to three floors and trapping residents, emergency services said. The two killed in the attack were a married couple, according to regional Gov. Oleh Kiper, who added that three children were among the injured. There was no immediate comment from Moscow. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, over 40 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight and on Saturday morning over western Russia and Kremlin-occupied Crimea. Long-range drone strikes have been a hallmark of the war, now in its fourth year. The race by both sides to develop increasingly sophisticated and deadlier drones has turned the war into a testing ground for new weaponry. Ukrainian drones have pulled off some stunning feats. At the start of June, nearly a third of Moscow's strategic bomber fleet was destroyed or damaged in a covert Ukrainian operation using cheaply made drones sneaked into Russian territory. Smaller, short-range drones are used by both sides on the battlefield and in areas close to the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in a report published Thursday that short-range drone attacks killed at least 395 civilians and injured 2,635 between the start of the war in February 2022 and April 2025. Almost 90% of the attacks were by the Russian armed forces, it reported. More than 13,300 civilians have died and over 34,700 have been injured in the war, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said a June 11 report. ___
Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Kyodo News
50% want Japan ruling bloc to lose upper house majority: Kyodo poll
KYODO NEWS - 31 minutes ago - 17:01 | All, Japan Half of Japanese voters want Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition to lose its majority in the House of Councillors in next month's election, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. In the nationwide telephone poll conducted on Saturday and Sunday, 38.1 percent of respondents said they want the coalition of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party to retain their upper house majority following the July 20 election. Related coverage: Japan gov't asks operators to address disinformation before election Japan PM aims to retain upper house majority after July poll FOCUS: Tokyo rebuke puts Ishiba at risk in national election
2 hours ago
Japan's Ishiba Cautious about Expanding Ruling Coalition
News from Japan Politics Jun 29, 2025 16:44 (JST) Tokyo, June 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday sounded cautious about expanding the ruling coalition between his Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. "A coalition should be formed after a certain level of agreement is reached on diplomacy, security and public finances," Ishiba said in a speech ahead of Thursday's start of the official campaign period for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. At a conference hosted by a private policy proposal group, Ishiba also expressed support for the idea of establishing a nonpartisan consultative body on social security reform. On measures against persisting inflation, he stated, "What is needed now is immediate effects," reiterating the need to provide a cash benefit of 20,000 to 40,000 yen per citizen, included in his party's election pledges. "We must secure financial resources for medical care, elderly care and pensions," he said, indicating a negative view about opposition proposals for lowering the consumption tax. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
