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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Nagasaki to invite Taiwan to atomic bomb memorial
Doves fly over the Peace Statue during a ceremony to mark the 77th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki at the Peace Park in Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. 9, 2022. Photo: Kyodo News via AP
/ Staff writer, with CNA
Taiwan yesterday said it was looking forward to attending an upcoming memorial in Japan to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, a day after the Japanese city said it had retracted its previous decision to not invite Taiwan to the event.
The case has been dealt with by Taiwan’s representative office in Fukuoka and the Nagasaki City Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The ministry would decide who to send to the Aug. 9 event once it receives the invitation, it added.
The ministry made the remarks following a Japanese media report on Saturday that said Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki had told Taiwan that the “attendance is accepted.”
He did not disclose when the response was conveyed or how Taipei responded.
The latest announcement came as a major about-face. Suzuki had originally said on May 16 that Taiwan would not be invited to this year’s event, as the invitation is only extended to countries with diplomatic relations with Japan, in accordance with past practices.
Japan does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Amid criticism, Suzuki early last month said that his government was considering how to facilitate Taiwan’s attendance at the Aug. 9 ceremony.
Asked about Nagasaki’s earlier announcement, ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei （蕭光偉） on May 20 said that the decision to not invite Taiwan was “regrettable.”
“Despite this, as a peace-loving and responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded partners to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” he said.
In 1945, the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9 respectively, to stop the Japanese imperial army’s continuing aggression, atrocities and occupation in Asia.
The two bombings killed hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom were civilians, and they remain the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict.
Six days later on Aug. 15, Japan announced its surrender to the Allies, ending World War II.
Meanwhile, Hiroshima has invited Taiwan to attend its Aug. 6 memorial. The foreign ministry also confirmed receiving the official invitation from Hiroshima and is deciding who to send to the memorial.
If Taiwan attends, it would be the first time it has attended both Japanese cities’ anniversary memorial events of the atomic bombing.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
