The U.S. and U.K ambassadors to Japan will sit out the annual memorial ceremony marking the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on Friday after the city decided not to invite the Israeli ambassador in what has become an increasingly politicized peace ceremony.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will not attend the event in Nagasaki and will instead attend a smaller-scale ceremony in Tokyo, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday.
An embassy spokesperson said the rationale behind the move was that Emanuel wished to honor and commemorate the day, but does not want to “be involved in a politicized event.” The U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka said in a statement that Principal Officer Chuka Asike will instead represent the U.S. at the ceremony.