(Bloomberg) -- Japan and the US said they would work for “humanitarian pauses” in Israel's war with Hamas ahead of a gathering of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Tokyo that is expected to deliver a similar message.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa agreed on the issue at a bilateral meeting in Tokyo late on Tuesday, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The conflict in Gaza is expected to top the agenda at the G-7 meeting Wednesday, which comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's whirlwind tour of the Middle East. His calls for halts in the fighting to allow delivery of basic necessities were met with more air and ground attacks from Israel and frustration from Jordan, which called for a full cease-fire.
“This is a very important moment as well for the G7 to come together in the face of this crisis and to speak, as we do, with one clear voice,” Blinken told Kamikawa, according to the State Department.
Japan and the UK also agreed on the need for a “pause” in a separate meeting of their foreign and defense ministers Tuesday. The message is expected to be part of a joint statement issued by the ministers later Wednesday, the Asahi newspaper said. Kamikawa and Blinken are set to address the media separately after the meetings conclude, with Blinken set to fly on to South Korea.
Resource-poor Japan has traditionally maintained close ties with oil-producing countries in the Middle East, although it has also sought to develop relations with Israel in recent years. The government was relatively slow to use the term “terrorism” to describe the Oct. 7 attacks Hamas attacks on Israel. The US and EU designate Hamas as terrorists.
Kamikawa made her own visit to the Middle East over the weekend. During the trip she met with Israeli and Palestinian officials and also visited Jordan.
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