Ayalon at Hiroshima
Ayalon at HiroshimaMFA

Deputy Foreign Minister on Wednesday became the highest level Israeli official ever to lay a wreath at the Hiroshima memorial, in memory of the victims of the nuclear bomb that was detonated over the city in World War II. Ayalon was following up on the visits to Japan earlier in the year by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor.

At the memorial, the Deputy Foreign Minister said that “in order to prevent another Hiroshima, the international community must put an immediate stop to Iran’s nuclear program. The world cannot be complacent about a nuclear Iran and must do whatever is necessary to prevent it."

Ayalon was accompanied by the Chair of the Japan-Israel Parliamentary Friendship League, MK Shai Hermesh, and Israel’s ambassador to Japan, Nissim Ben Sheetrit. Speaking after the wreath-laying, Ayalon honored the memory of the victims and said that mankind should swear “Never again” to nuclear war, adding that it was crucial to prevent extremist regimes such as Iran from achieving military nuclear capability, as it would threaten world security.

The ceremony at Hiroshima came at the end of Ayalon’s four-day visit to Japan, during which he met with State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yutaka Banno, the Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East Yutaka Iimura, and the Head of the Opposition and LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki. Ayalon and his Japanese hosts discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation between the two nations in the areas of commerce, economy, culture, and science and technology, with an emphasis on alternative energy and the environment. They also discussed boosting cooperation between their respective humanitarian aid agencies. He also met with with the mayor of Hiroshima, Tadatoshi Akiba, and discussed with him initiatives to raise global awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation.

Ayalon praised Japan for its stance on the need to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. He stressed the importance of expanding the sanctions against Iran and the need to examine further measures as necessary, in order to convince Iran to cease its military nuclear program.

Ayalon also briefed the Japanese officials on strategic developments in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran’s activities that continue to undermine stability in the region.