Nagasaki has accepted a request from Taiwan to attend this year's ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing, the southwestern Japanese city said Saturday.
If Taiwan attends, it will be the first time its representatives officially take part in the annual event held each August.
Following last year's controversy over its decision not to invite Israel amid its war in the Gaza Strip, Nagasaki has decided this year to invite all countries and regions with diplomatic missions in Japan or representative offices at the United Nations.
However, as Taiwan does "not fall into either category," the self-ruled island in May expressed disappointment that it would be excluded.
In early June, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said he is considering how to facilitate Taiwan's desire to attend the Aug. 9 ceremony.
It was the first time that Taiwan, which has never been officially invited to the memorial event, has expressed a wish to attend, according to the Japanese city. Taiwan has no official diplomatic ties with Japan.
Suzuki said Saturday he has told Taiwan that the "attendance is accepted." He did not disclose when the response was conveyed, nor how Taipei responded.
Hiroshima, the Japanese city atomic bombed three days before Nagasaki, has this year switched from sending invitations to notifying all countries and regions that they are welcome to attend the Aug. 6 memorial ceremony.
Taiwan was added to the notification list after the island expressed its intention to take part in the Hiroshima ceremony.
The U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are estimated to have killed 214,000 people by the end of the year. They left scores of survivors grappling with long-term physical and mental health challenges.
Japan surrendered six days after the Nagasaki bombing, bringing an end to World War II.
© KYODO
24 Comments
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englisc aspyrgend
Good.
Now wait for all the little pinks to squeal and froth at the mouth with pre-paid indignation.
Taiwan is an independent, democratic, sovereign state whether the thugs in the CCP like it or not.
It’s about time the democratic countries of the world in concert recognised Taiwan and exchanged Ambassadors. If the CCP doesn’t like it they can do the other thing.
deanzaZZR
Naw, educated "little pinks" will read a Japanese language news article like this one at Mainichi https://mainichi.jp/articles/20250705/k00/00m/030/210000c and point out that a "Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs" and a "Taiwan Minister of Foreign Affairs" simply do not exist.
Is it April 1st again?
YeahRight
englisc beat me to it. I was going to write pretty much the same thing.
TokyoLiving
Only 12 countries in the world recognize Taiwan's foolish rebellion.. LOL
And now, with China's Belt and Road project, fewer will recognize Taiwan as a nation in order to be part of China's mega-project..
Keep dreaming, LOOOOOL
deanzaZZR
Hopefully Nagasaki City can find a nice seating location for Chinese Taipei.
Peter14
ROC existed first, it was the PRC that rebelled. Some cant even get history straight. So funny.
isabelle
Great news, and long overdue.
And the comments from the pro-CCP mouthpieces are as they always are: tiresome and predictable.
There was no Taiwan rebellion: the CCP started a civil war.
You may not understand this, but Xi Jinping Thought doesn't apply in the real world.
Of course they exist. Denying reality just makes you look foolish:
https://en.mofa.gov.tw/
Every day is like April 1st on here with the CCP (and Kremlin) mouthpieces.
Yawn.
deanzaZZR
Yawn.
There are two possible outcomes. The authorities in Taipei come to represent Chinese Taipei or they eventually do not come.
Of course what is odd about the whole thing is that the KMT who fought the Japanese military is an opposition party. Meanwhile the DPP who are closer to Japanese collaborators are in office. It is unclear what any visit by Lai's crew even represents.
deanzaZZR
Mao won. Chiang Kai-shek lost. The Nationalists fled to the Chinese island of Taiwan with their tails between their legs. Some can't even get history straight. So funny.
isabelle
The authorities in Taipei certainly won't come to represent "Chinese Taipei" because that is an artificial construct used by monstrosities like the IOC.
They will come to represent their country, "Republic of China (Taiwan)."
Nothing "odd" about the KMT being voted out by the people of Taiwan in free and fair democratic elections.
But I can see how elections might seem odd to a rabid supporter of the totalitarian PRC.
Japan's rule of Taiwan ended in 1945. The DPP was founded in 1986.
Your comment, like all your other pro-CCP comments, makes no sense.
Peter14
The come to represent the millions of citizens of the Republic of China. And they will do so with reverence and dignity.
The Republic of China retreated to its last stronghold, the island of Taiwan. While they gave up the mainland to rebel forces, they retained control of Taiwan. There was no surrender.
CCP wants Taiwan given to it out of some misplaced idea that they own it already. But they never have, so it can not be PRC's territory.
Pukey2
Not according to the UN, or most countries like US and UK. Probably in your head though.
Fun fact: most Taiwanese don't want independence. They want the status quo.
deanzaZZR
Honestly, is this a satire account? ROC forces skulked on the Chinese island of Taiwan only remaining there because of the US 7th Fleet and the threat of nuclear attack during the 1950s and 1960s.
Thankfully for all, post Mao China has seeked a more peaceful solution to the Taiwan Issue. Non Chinese need not apply.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Great that Free Taiwan is invited. Should keep some of the riffraff out, too.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Or the Nagaski mayor can decide what goes on the name card.
And yet that still grants the PRC zero control over Taiwan and the former's ridiculous mandate goes unfulfilled.
Wiping out 23 million people is never going to be the peaceful or the cheap solution.
NCIS Reruns
It's difficult to be inclusive when there's always a country with a chip on its shoulder. As they are taking part in a serious event marking the atomic bombing in 1945, China's and Taiwan's representatives should be seated together, and they should acknowledge each other by shaking hands. That's what's being civilized is all about, isn't it?
Peter14
Fun fact, Taiwan is already independent, thats what the current status quo is, and if all threats from PRC were stopped, they would speak up much louder about it.
How many PRC laws are obeyed by Taiwan? Zero. How many PRC troops are stationed on Taiwan? Zero. How much of Taiwan does PRC actively control? Zero. Thats why its called independence, and why the people of the world can recognize it, even it their governments choose not to say so too loudly.
More money trading with PRC than with ROC and that is the solitary reason for it. Greed.
Fighto!
The 6 million plus Taiwanese who visited Japan last year were proud to use their Taiwanese passports, and exchanged their Taiwanese dollars.
The Taiwanese passport is far more powerful internationally than the Chinese passport (139 visa free, vs 83 visa free).
https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index/compare
No wonder the citizens of free Taiwan are happy!
Hiro S Nobumasa
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki should be the next PM of Japan.
That would mark the first time that a Japanese leader would not kowtow to China and hopefully would have the moral courage to re-establish full diplomatic ties with democratic and peace loving ROC, Taiwan.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Unfortunately he also invited russia. Might as well invite Kim Jong Un if you are going to do that.
Garlic eater
Taiwan is held in high regard by those who live in countries where there is freedom of speech.
The only people who ridicule Taiwan are those who come from countries where people get censored and beaten up by their government for honouring Taiwan.
Garlic eater
And furthermore, the world is full of CCP agents who are expected to respond to any media articles that oppose their government, with their family members at risk of being punished if the agent does a bad job. Keep in mind that some (not all) of the pro-China anti-Taiwan comments you read here may well be written by people who live in fear.
Roten
In this case, history isn't as important as currency. Taiwan has been independent from Japan from 1945, and was never controlled by the PRC. It functions as an independent state in all significant aspects even though its independence is not diplomatically recognized by most other countries. Both Mao and Chiang Kai-shek are dead. Neather the PRC nor Taiwan has controlled the other since at least 1895, when neither current governing entity was around.
Even if not recognized as a country by many other countries of the world, Taiwan is indeed an independent country.
Roten
And Nagasaki is being very open-minded in inviting or allowing all interested countries and regions to come and observe celebrations of peace. Who is next to be invited, or at least whose "attendence is accepted" (have to admire the passive voice here)? How about the Dalai Lama?