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US ambassador to Japan to skip Nagasaki memorial because Israel was not invited
Doves fly over the Peace Statue during a ceremony to mark the 77th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing at the Peace Park in Nagasaki, southern Japan, on August 9, 2022 [Kyodo News via AP]

US AMBASSADOR to Japan Rahm Emanuel will skip this year’s atomic bombing memorial service in Nagasaki because Israel was not invited, the embassy said today.

Mr Emanuel will not attend the event on Friday because it was “politicised” by Nagasaki’s decision not to invite Israel, the embassy said.

He will instead honour the victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing at a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo, it said.

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