Taiwan rep boycotts Nagasaki bomb memorial, citing 'dwarfing' by city government

Taiwan's representative has refused to attend the annual atomic bombing memorial ceremony in Nagasaki, Japan, protesting the Nagasaki city government's decision to place Taiwan's delegate outside the official delegation area.

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Nagasaki city government's compliance with Beijing's political assertion that 'Taiwan is not a country, Taiwan belongs to China' has effectively become an execution tool for China's legal warfare against Taiwan, and I want to express the strongest protest and condemnation.

Lee Yi-liang, Taiwan's representative in Japan, stated that this arrangement deliberately "dwarfs" Taiwan's status. He noted that this was the second consecutive year Taiwan's representative was excluded from the main delegation area, following a similar incident and protest last year. Lee decided to lower the level of representation, sending Chen Ming-chun, director of the Fukuoka office, in his place.

Lee strongly criticized the Nagasaki city government, accusing it of succumbing to China's position and demeaning Taiwan, which he described as a partner pursuing peace and a long-time friend. He expressed regret and disappointment, calling the city government's actions a tool for China's legal warfare against Taiwan. Lee pointed out that many Taiwanese also perished in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and Taiwan wished to use the ceremony to declare its commitment to peace alongside democratic nations.

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Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other. The Nagasaki city government's compliance with Beijing's political assertion that 'Taiwan is not a country, Taiwan belongs to China' has effectively become an execution tool for China's legal warfare against Taiwan, and I want to express the strongest protest and condemnation.

He contrasted Nagasaki's treatment with that of Hiroshima, which sends invitations to Taiwan and other regions, allowing them to decide on attendance. Lee has personally attended the Hiroshima memorial ceremony for the past two years. He highlighted the strong friendship between Taiwan and Japan, referencing Taiwan's investments in Kyushu and its swift aid after the Kumamoto earthquake. Lee reiterated that Taiwan and China are separate entities, and Nagasaki's compliance with Beijing's political assertion that "Taiwan is not a country, Taiwan belongs to China" is unacceptable.

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Compared to Hiroshima City, which has sent notifications to various countries and regions, including Taiwan, in the past two years, allowing each party to decide whether to attend, I have personally attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony for two consecutive years.