On August 9th, the Peace Memorial Ceremony for the Nagasaki atomic bombing was held in Japan, and the representative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Japan, Li Yiyang, pointed out that the arrangement of the Taiwan representative’s seat outside the diplomatic delegation area by the Nagasaki City Government was belittling Taiwan, leading him to not attend the event. He criticized the Nagasaki City Government for capitulating to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and diminishing Taiwan, which was regrettable. The Taiwan Association in Japan protested against this and questioned whether the related arrangements were influenced by pressure from the CCP.
The Representative Office of the Republic of China in Japan issued a press release stating that the Representative Li Yiyang and two deputy representatives, Cai Mingyao and Zhou Xueyou, did not attend the memorial ceremony and were represented by Chen Mingjun, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Fukuoka.
Li Yiyang emphasized that the Nagasaki City Government deliberately belittled Taiwan’s national identity and status by arranging the Taiwan representative’s seat outside the diplomatic delegation area. As a result, Taiwan decided to lower the level of attendance and had Director Chen Mingjun represent Taipei instead. He expressed strong protest and condemnation against the Nagasaki City Government’s arrangement.
He stressed that the CCP is aggressively expanding its nuclear weapons and threatening world peace, while also engaging in military exercises and creating conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region, being the biggest disruptor of regional peace. The appeal of the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony is for the “abolition of nuclear weapons” and “pursuit of peace,” which targets the CCP. The Nagasaki City Government’s compliance with the CCP, belittling Taiwan, a country pursuing peace and a friend of Japan, is disappointing and unfortunate.
The Nagasaki City Government responded by stating that the seating arrangement for the Taiwan representative this time was the same as last year, designated as the “overseas seat,” and claimed that there was no intention to downgrade.
The Executive Director of the Indo-Pacific Strategy Think Tank and senior Japanese media figure, Yaiba Akio, lamented on Facebook about the regretful incident on the 9th. Taiwan’s Representative in Japan, Li Yiyang, was absent from the Nagasaki atomic bombing victims’ memorial peace ceremony because Nagasaki City refused to seat the Taiwan representative in the diplomatic delegation area.
He said that Nagasaki has a long history of exchange with China and is one of the most friendly cities in Japan towards China. At the same time, due to the painful memory of the atomic bombing, Nagasaki has long upheld the banner of “anti-nuclear, anti-war, and peace.”
He stated that these traditions deserve respect. However, the problem lies in Nagasaki being very sensitive to the military policies of the US and Japan while almost silent in the face of the CCP’s continuous expansion of nuclear weapons, military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, and threats to the security of Taiwan and Japan.
He pointed out that at the Nagasaki peace ceremony advocating for “nuclear disarmament and peace,” the one currently expanding nuclear weapons, conducting frequent military exercises, and threatening Taiwan with force in East Asia is precisely the CCP. He supported Taiwan’s Representative Li Yiyang in boycotting the event and expressed strong protest against Nagasaki City for disrespecting Taiwan and appeasing Beijing.
According to CNA report, the Taiwan United Association of Japan (Taiwan United) issued a protest statement to Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki Shiro, expressing that Taiwan respects freedom and democracy, shares the idea of nuclear disarmament and permanent peace proposed by Nagasaki, and is an important friendly partner of Japan. Taiwan United believes that treating the Taiwan representative improperly during the peace memorial ceremony not only goes against the purpose of praying for peace but also indicates disrespect towards Taiwan’s existence and dignity.
Taiwan United further questioned whether this arrangement is related to political pressure from the CCP attempting to isolate Taiwan from the international community. If Nagasaki City is speculating on the intentions of the CCP or even changing the treatment of the Taiwan representative due to pressure, the issue goes beyond local government’s mere diplomatic considerations, essentially aiding the CCP’s international oppression of Taiwan.
Taiwan United urged Nagasaki City to disclose the specific reason for the seating arrangement of the Taiwan representative at this event and the decision-making process, and called on Nagasaki City not to succumb to political pressure from the CCP. They urged Nagasaki City to treat all participants, including Taiwan, equally based on fairness, respect, and democratic principles.