Nagasaki peace ceremony downgrades Taiwan; Japan rep boycotts in protest

Nagasaki city's decision to relegate Taiwan's representative to a seating area outside the main delegation at its atomic bombing peace memorial ceremony has triggered a strong protest from Taiwan. The move was seen as a deliberate attempt to diminish Taiwan's status and dignity, prompting Taiwan's representative in Japan, Li Yi-yang, to refuse attendance and lodge a formal protest.

Li Yi-yang criticized Nagasaki city's authorities for succumbing to Chinese pressure, stating that their decision has unfortunately made the ceremony a tool for China's legal warfare against Taiwan. He expressed deep disappointment, emphasizing that while advocating for nuclear disarmament and peace, the city's actions contradict these ideals by yielding to Beijing's influence. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan echoed these sentiments, asserting that the pursuit of peace should not begin with the sacrifice of Taiwan's dignity.

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Pursuing peace should not begin with the sacrifice of Taiwan's dignity.

The DPP caucus convenes that the purpose of attending the peace ceremony is to remember history and cherish peace, not to endure political humiliation. The party highlighted the irony of advocating for nuclear abolition while simultaneously bowing to Chinese pressure, especially when China itself is the entity continuously expanding its nuclear arsenal and threatening peace in the Taiwan Strait through military force. The DPP stressed that Nagasaki city's erroneous decision should not damage the long-standing friendship between Taiwan and Japan and urged the Japanese side to address and rectify the situation, preventing the ceremony from becoming a platform for China to suppress Taiwan.

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Nagasaki city's authorities have succumbed to Chinese pressure, and their decision has unfortunately made the ceremony a tool for China's legal warfare against Taiwan.