Taipei [Taiwan], May 20 : Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday expressed regret over the Nagasaki city government's decision not to invite Taiwan to participate in this year's memorial ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, which occurred during the final days of World War II, Taipei Times reported.
MOFA spokesman Hsiao Kuangwei addressed the issue during a weekly news briefing, calling the lack of an invitation "regrettable" in response to a question about Taiwan's absence from the upcoming event. He reaffirmed Taiwan's ongoing commitment to regional peace and cooperation.
"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.
While Taiwan has not been included in the Nagasaki ceremony, a different stance appears to be emerging in Hiroshima. According to a report last Friday by Asahi Shimbun, citing unnamed sources, Hiroshima City has chosen to notify Taiwan about this year's August 6 peace memorial event - a departure from its past practice of not extending an invitation, reported Taipei Times.
In response to that development, Hsiao confirmed that Taiwan has not yet received an official invitation to the Hiroshima memorial but expressed optimism about participation.
"Now the case is being handled by Taiwan's representative office in Osaka with the Hiroshima City government," he said, adding that the ministry would decide who to send once the invitation is received.
Until last year, Taiwan had typically been excluded from Hiroshima's annual peace memorial due to pressure from the People's Republic of China, which maintains diplomatic relations with Japan and considers Taiwan part of its territory.
However, this year's commemoration - marking the 80th anniversary of the bombing - has reportedly prompted a reassessment. Sources quoted in Japanese media said Hiroshima officials decided there was no reason to exclude Taiwan, citing the event's core message: the "spirit of Hiroshima," a wish for the coexistence and prosperity of humankind, Taipei Times reported.
In contrast, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki reiterated on Friday that Taiwan would not be invited to the Aug. 9 ceremony, stating that invitations are limited to countries with formal diplomatic ties to Japan.
The 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and led to Japan's surrender six days later on August 15, effectively ending World War II.
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