August 10, 2024

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on August 9 at a press conference in Nagasaki City said that the city’s decision not to invite Israel to its annual peace ceremony “should not be criticized.”

Koike said this when asked by reporters about the decision of Nagasaki City not to invite Israel to the peace ceremony held on Nagasaki A-Bomb Day.

Koike noted that the Nagasaki City mayor explained that he made this decision in order to “ensure the smooth running of the ceremony” as the organizer of the event. He added, “This explanation is reasonable and should not be criticized.”

Regarding the fact that some countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., did not send their ambassadors to the ceremony, Koike said, “The British ambassador says the reason for her absence is that Israel, unlike Russia, is just exercising its right to self-defense,” and added, “This is clearly a double standard.”

Pointing out that the Israeli attack on Gaza is an inhumane campaign of genocide in violation of the UN Charter and international law, Koike said, “It is absolutely unacceptable for the U.S., Britain, and other countries that agree with them to justify the Israeli act as just an exercise of the right of self-defense.”