Japan will not recognise a Palestinian state for now, a decision probably taken to maintain relations with the US and to avoid a hardening of Israel's attitude, the Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified government sources.
Several governments, including those in Britain, France, Canada and Australia, have said they will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly this month, adding international pressure on Israel over its actions in the territory.
The US had prompted Japan to forgo the recognition of a Palestinian state through several diplomatic channels, while French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot strongly urged his Japanese counterpart to recognise it, Kyodo news agency reported last week.
Japan has been conducting a “comprehensive assessment, including appropriate timing and modalities, of the issue of recognising Palestinian statehood”, foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya told a news briefing on Tuesday.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government's top spokesperson, repeated the statement at a news conference on Wednesday when asked about the Asahi report. But Hayashi expressed a “grave sense of crisis” over the Israeli ground assault on Gaza City, saying “the foundations of a two-state solution could be collapsing”.
He urged Israel to “take substantive steps to end the severe humanitarian crisis, including famine, as soon as possible”. At a UN meeting on Friday, Japan was among 142 nations that voted in favour of a declaration outlining “tangible, timebound and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
But Asahi said Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to skip a September 22 meeting on the subject during the UN gathering in New York. Within the G7, German and Italian officials have called an immediate recognition of Palestine “counterproductive”.
Reuters
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