The administration of the city of Hiroshima in Japan will not invite Russia and Belarus to the memorial events this year; instead, these countries will receive letters with a message, The Asahi Shimbun reports.
It is noted that delegations from Russia and Belarus will miss the memorial events in Hiroshima for the third consecutive year, and the reason for this is the war in Ukraine.
"The situation remains unchanged from the past fiscal year, and we decided to respond to it the same way," stated an official.
According to the sources, the city plans to send a letter to Russia and Belarus in May, stating that the administration is "eagerly waiting for the day when you can visit Hiroshima after the conflict is brought to an end."
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Two exceptional instances in human history of the military use of nuclear weapons. Conducted by the United States Armed Forces in the final stages of World War II against Japan.
As a result of the two explosions, 80,000 people were killed instantly. By the end of 1945, the total number of casualties, including oncological diseases and radiation sickness, ranged from 90,000 to 166,000 in Hiroshima and from 60,000 to 80,000 in Nagasaki. Following this, Japan signed a surrender, which allowed for the conclusion of World War II.
Japan supports Ukraine and condemns Russia
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Japan has condemned Russia and imposed a series of sanctions against it. Tokyo also provides support to Kyiv, but there is no mention of supplying weapons.
Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that the country has decided to change its defense position. This occurred against the backdrop of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Additionally, the Japanese government recently imposed a ban on the export of a range of goods to Russia, aimed at strengthening its industrial base.
