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Memorial ceremony in Nagasaki to proceed without foreign ambassadors and Japanese premier

It is also reported that the ceremony may be cancelled if weather conditions deteriorate further

TOKYO, August 7. /TASS/. A ceremony to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki will be held on August 9 in a reduced format due to severe weather conditions caused by Typhoon Eve.

"Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other government officials will not be invited to the event," The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on Monday.

Foreign ambassadors, diplomats and ordinary guests will also not be able to attend the memorial ceremony, at which only municipal officials are expected to be present. In addition, the ceremony may be cancelled if weather conditions deteriorate further.

"For the first time since 1963, the commemoration ceremony will be held indoors rather than in Peace Park," Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said on Sunday.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were carried out by the United States at the very end of World War II for the officially declared purpose of accelerating Japan's surrender. The bombings were the only instances in history of the military use of nuclear weapons. The population of Nagasaki at the time of the bombing was about 200,000 people, 30,000 to 40,000 of whom were killed instantly as a result of the direct impact of the nuclear blast. By the end of 1945 the number of victims, according to various estimates, had increased to 60,000-80,000 people due to the adverse health consequences of the explosion, including radioactive contamination and radiation sickness.

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