Envoys from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. and the European Union signed a joint letter expressing their shared concern about Israel's exclusion, saying that treating the country on the same level as Russia and Belarus — the only other countries not invited — would be misleading. Mayor of Nagasaki Shiro Suzuki said it was a decision made too make sure "that we can conduct the ceremony smoothly under a solemn atmosphere."