Japan on Friday marked the 79th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki, which left tens of thousands of people dead.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the ceremony while envoys from Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom were conspicuous in their absence. He said Japan is striving for a “world without nuclear weapons,” according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki also gave remarks at the event and said the world is facing a “critical situation” now due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concerns about military escalation in the Middle East.

“With no end in sight to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and fears of an escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East, important norms that have been upheld could be lost. We are facing such a critical situation,” Suzuki said at the ceremony.