Japan has decided not to move forward with recognising a Palestinian state at this time, according to a report in the Asahi newspaper on Wednesday that cited government insiders. The stance is believed to reflect Tokyo’s concern about preserving its relationship with Washington and not provoking stronger resistance from Israel.
The decision comes as Britain, France, Canada and Australia prepare to support recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly later this month, a step that adds to the mounting diplomatic pressure on Israel, reports agencies.
According to Kyodo news agency last week, the US urged Japan through various diplomatic channels to withhold recognition, while France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot directly pressed his Japanese counterpart to support the move.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Japan was still undertaking “a comprehensive assessment, including appropriate timing and modalities, of the issue of recognising Palestinian statehood.”
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi repeated this position the following day when questioned about the Asahi report.
Hayashi nonetheless voiced alarm over Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza City, warning that “the very foundations of a two-state solution could be collapsing.” He appealed to Israel to “take substantive steps to end the severe humanitarian crisis, including famine, as soon as possible.”
At the United Nations last Friday, Japan was among 142 countries backing a resolution that called for “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution. However, news agencies reported that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to miss a 22 September meeting on the subject during the UN summit in New York.
Within the Group of Seven, opinion remains divided. German and Italian representatives have described immediate recognition of Palestine as “counterproductive.”
