Tokyo, Nov 8 (EFE).- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and United States State Secretary Antony Blinken asked Israel Tuesday to establish a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip.
(Clockwise from left to right) Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Italian Foreign Ministry’s Director General for Political Affairs and International Security Pasquale Ferrara and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell are seated ahead of the working dinner during the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Iikura Guest House on November 07, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. EFE-EPA/TOMOHIRO OHSUMI/POOL
Kishida and Blinken held this meeting on the occasion of the US diplomat’s visit to Tokyo to participate in a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, focused on the situation in Israel and Palestine and the war in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2-R) walks to meet Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (not pictured) at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 07 November 2023. EFE-EPA/EUGENE HOSHIKO/POOL
Kishida condemned the recent attacks by Hamas and said his country “will continue its diplomatic efforts in coordination with the US to adhere to international humanitarian law, improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as to achieve a two-state solution,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a Wednesday statement.
The Japanese Prime Minister also conveyed to Blinken the need to “maintain the unity of the G7” not only due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, but also due to the situation in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific.
“The G7 is more necessary than ever with the situation in Israel and Palestine, the situation in Ukraine and the challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, and I hope that the Foreign Ministers Meeting will serve as an opportunity for an active debate between the G7,” Kishida said.
Blinken said he would like to continue working “to strengthen coordination between Japan and the US and to respond to the various problems facing international society.”
Blinken also met his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa, who also condemned the Hamas attacks and said he wanted to support the US in its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, so that the situation “does not spread” in the region.
Tokyo and Washington shared opinions on the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which will be a central issue in the two-day Foreign Affairs meetings of the G7 (Germany, Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan and the UK, in addition to the European Union) that started Tuesday and will end Wednesday in Tokyo. EFE
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