Japan has SDF personnel in the Middle East for missions such as antipiracy operations off Somalia and elsewhere, and the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai Peninsula, an organisation monitoring the ceasefire between Egypt and Israel.
It is extremely rare for the Japanese government to condemn Israel, which is an ally of the United States, like Japan.
Tokyo’s message of condemnation reflects an acute sense of crisis in Japan over the situation, which one Japanese government official expects will inevitably escalate, because the attack also caused civilian casualties in Iran.
Japan has years of amicable relations with Iran and has been supporting US-Iran talks on Tehran’s nuclear development.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said the Japanese government needed to send a stronger message than before because Israel’s move was a unilateral preemptive attack.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
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