By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – Japanese people stand firmly with the people of Palestine, so the refusal to not invite Palestinian officials to a ceremony commemorating the American atomic bombing of Hiroshima was due to “outside pressure,” according to the Palestinian envoy to Japan.
“I think Hiroshima had some outside pressure … They had a lot of pressure, and it’s very clear who put the pressure on them,” Ambassador Waleed Siam told Anadolu.
Japan does not recognize Palestine as a state but hosts the Permanent General Mission of Palestine in Tokyo, which is headed by Siam.
The local government in Hiroshima, one of the two cities along with Nagasaki attacked with nuclear weapons by the US during World War II, invited Israeli officials to the event on Aug. 6.
The invitation was not rescinded despite public outrage at the decision due to Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, where it has now killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and wounded almost 92,000.
Nagasaki chose to keep Israeli officials away from its commemoration event on Friday, leading to a boycott by envoys of the Group of Seven (G-7) nations.
However, Palestinian officials were invited and a diplomat from the Permanent General Mission of Palestine attended the event.
Tokyo has so far refused to comment on Nagasaki’s decision to exclude Israeli officials.
Despite Palestine’s exclusion from the Hiroshima commemoration, Siam commended Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki for his speech at the event.
“It was, in a way, telling the Israelis they have to stop the killing in Gaza, and … I appreciate what the governor said,” Siam added.
However, the envoy added that he was “very shocked that Hiroshima city extended an invitation to the Israeli ambassador.”
Hiroshima’s invite to Israel has been criticized as double standards, particularly since it has refused to invite Russia and Belarus since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022.
Siam also questioned American presence, saying: “I don’t understand why Hiroshima is inviting the Americans when the Americans destroyed Hiroshima.”
As for inviting Israelis and excluding Palestinians, he said: “They’re not inviting the Palestinians who are calling for peace for the past 77 years. It’s a kind of a double standard.”
Siam stressed that it is “very clear that they have taken the wrong decision.”
“Nagasaki continues to withhold its principles and values … By not inviting the Israelis, it shows clearly that Nagasaki is sending a message of peace to the world,” he said.
- Recognition of Palestine
Even though Japan “unfortunately” does not recognize an independent Palestinian state, Siam said the country has “treated Palestine and treated us … the same as any embassy in Japan, and maybe more.”
“The Japanese government has given us full support and continues to give full support for the Palestinian people and government,” he said.
“Japan has contributed a lot to the economy of Palestine and the infrastructure of Palestine. Unfortunately, all its projects in Gaza have been destroyed by the Israelis.”
Siam said Japan has also promised that it “will be one of the most important countries for rebuilding Gaza.”
According to the ambassador, Japan is “now studying seriously, and also South Korea, recognizing the state of Palestine.”
“They know that recognizing the state of Palestine does not hinder future peace talks between us and Israelis,” he added.
Japan now has “to arrive at how and when they will recognize the state of Palestine,” he said.
“I understand that Japan is going through a hard time doing this, and I appreciate that Japan and South Korea are reconsidering the recognition of the State of Palestine,” he said.
The Japanese government has not officially indicated any plans for the recognition of Palestine, and the Japanese Foreign Ministry did not respond to an Anadolu query for a comment.
- ‘Japanese people have always supported the Palestinian cause’
Regarding public support for Palestine in Japan, Siam said the country has a history of standing with Palestinians.
“Japanese people have always supported the Palestinian cause because they suffered from World War II … They know how war brings destruction,” he said.
“They know their history well … and they stand for justice, they stand for freedom, not only for Palestine, but for all people that are under oppressors.”
There is cross-generational support for Palestine in Japan, he added.
“They stand up for justice, for the rule of law, for the international law to be enforced … That’s why the Japanese, the old and the young, stand up for Palestine,” said Siam.
“They have a saying in Japanese that the Japanese always stand with the weak.”
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October, Japanese people have been taking to the streets in solidarity with Palestinians, he said.
“Their voices are very loud against the Israelis and against their allies, calling to stop the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing that is ongoing,” said Siam.
A critical reason for this increasing support is that “they see the truth on the social media,” he explained.
“Social media has showed the ugly face, the real face of Zionism, the real face of the government of Israel, the real face of the so-called democratic state of Israel, the so-called moral army of Israel,” he said.