Ishiba Hints at Early Japanese Recognition of Palestine

New York, Sept. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of his country recognizing Palestinian statehood at an early date if Israel continues to shut the door on a two-state solution with Palestine. If Israel maintains its hard-line stance, Japan would take new measures, Ishiba said in his general debate speech at a U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York. With this year marking the 80th anniversary of its founding, the United Nations has a responsibility for reaching a conclusion as soon as possible on U.N. Security Council reform, he said. Although Japan has stopped short of recognizing the state of Palestine to coincide with the U.N. General Assembly meeting, the prime minister said that it is a matter of when, not whether, to recognize Palestinian statehood. Ishiba said he condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli military’s recent ground offensive in Gaza City, calling for an immediate halt. The U.N. Security Council has been unable to serve its functions, he said, citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an example. He expressed concern over the abuse of veto power by Russia, a permanent member of the council. The numbers of permanent and nonpermanent seats on the council must be increased now, he said. Ishiba stressed the need to maintain a world free of nuclear war and to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. While attaching importance to the United States’ nuclear deterrence, Ishiba said that Japan is determined to continue conveying the horrors of the August 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the world, as the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack in war. The prime minister emphasized the need to confront history for a bright future, apparently reflecting his intention to issue a view about the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II before his resignation. Japan’s postwar return to the international community was supported by the spirit of tolerance shown by Asian countries, he said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]