Japan won't recognise a Palestinian state given US ties: Report

Japan has decided not to recognise a Palestinian state for now, seeking to protect ties with the United States and to avoid straining relations with Israel, the Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday, citing government sources.

In recent weeks, governments in Britain, France, Canada and Australia have announced their plans to recognise a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly session this month. The coordinated effort has added pressure on Israel as its military unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday.

Despite this momentum, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to skip a September 22 meeting in New York that will focus on the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, the Asahi reported.

WASHINGTON URGES TOKYO TO HOLD BACK

According to the Kyodo news agency, Washington has urged Tokyo through multiple diplomatic channels not to take steps towards recognition at this stage. At the same time, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has pressed his Japanese counterpart to move forward with recognition.

Balancing these pressures, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Tuesday that Japan was carrying out a "comprehensive assessment, including appropriate timing and modalities, of the issue of recognising Palestinian statehood."

JAPAN BACKS UN DECLARATION ON TWO-STATE PATH

While Tokyo has held back on full recognition, it did side with most of the international community at a UN meeting on Friday. Japan was among 142 countries that voted for a declaration calling for "tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps" toward a two-state solution. Notably, India also voted in favour of Palestinian state.

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