US Ambassador to Japan skips Nagasaki peace ceremony in protest of Israel's exclusion from event

The US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, will not attend the Nagasaki peace ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city. This decision is reportedly due to the city's decision not to invite Israel to the event, which Emanuel's office considers to be "politicized". The ambassadors of several Western countries, including the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union, have also declined to attend the ceremony. The mayor of Nagasaki, Shiro Suzuki, has defended the decision not to invite Israel, stating that it was made for non-political reasons.