Tokyo, 11 Nov 2023 (The Japan Time)

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has said that Japan will “take a lead” in the global efforts to address the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip amid the escalating war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Japan will proactively communicate with related nations toward the realization of a “two-state solution” for establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel to resolve their longstanding conflict, Kamikawa said in an interview Friday with Kyodo News.

She underscored that Japan can hold dialogue with Israel, the Palestinians and Middle Eastern countries.

“We will aim to improve the humanitarian situation and help de-escalation in the short term, and approach them to realize a two-state solution in the long term.”

Earlier this week, Kamikawa and her counterparts from the Group of Seven industrialized nations called for humanitarian pauses’  to enable civilians in Gaza to flee and facilitate the delivery of aid supplies to the Palestinian enclave.

Japan will closely monitor whether Israel’s acceptance of a four-hour daily pause in fighting in Gaza will lead to an improvement in the humanitarian situation in the territory.

“It is important that the step leads to the delivery of urgently needed aid, the movement of civilians and the release of hostages,” Kamikawa told a news conference Friday.

With Japan set to co-chair the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in mid-December, Kamikawa said Tokyo will encourage other nations to step up support for refugees as more Palestinian civilians are expected to be forced to leave their homes.

Kamikawa, who became Japan’s first female foreign minister in around two decades in September, also said it is important for women to assume “leadership positions” and engage in war prevention, reconstruction and peace-building in Gaza.