My Take | Those enabling genocide rub it in by attending Nagasaki memorial
But by inviting Israel and others to peace ceremony, mayor is making moral statement for sake of humanity despite pressure from West
The mayor of Nagasaki has great moral fibre, he is also a clever man. Shiro Suzuki showed courage last year by disinviting Israel to the annual peace ceremony commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of the city – for obvious reasons.
Suzuki also disinvited Russia and Belarus last year and the previous two. He recognises atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity wherever he sees them, unlike the highly selective vision of most Western leaders.
That brave act last year earned him the animus of the ambassadors of the Group of Seven (G7) – or rather the G6 – and the European Union, so they boycotted the event in solidarity with Israel. Instead, they sent low-level functionaries in their places.
Western leaders then applied intense pressure on Tokyo to make sure Israel is invited to this year’s 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city on August 9.
So Suzuki personally invited Israel and everyone else, including Russia and Belarus. Between Israel and Russia, one has as much moral authority as the other.
All this comes as US politicians have been busy helping Israel to unleash the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which frankly defeats the spirit of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Washington is going ahead with a US$675 million arms deal with Israel. This week, US Republican senator Lindsey Graham said on NBC’s Meet the Press that Israel should destroy Gaza like Allied forces did with German and Japanese cities towards the end of the second world war.