Japan’s economic and diplomatic balancing act amid the war between Israel and Hamas
Showing great caution, the Japanese prime minister waited 24 hours before speaking out, unlike US and British leaders. While condemning the attack by Hamas, he urged both parties to show restraint and did not use the word "terrorism". Japan has been trying to carve its own path in the Arab world, independent of its Western allies. Japanese nationals have been warned to stay away from the conflict zone.
Tokyo (AsiaNews) – Recently renewed hostilities between Israel and Hamas are forcing Japan to walk a tightrope in order to maintain a certain diplomatic balance in its Mideast policy.
When Hamas launched its surprise attack against Israel, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the action, while urging the two sides to use restraint. He did not spare Hamas from criticism for abducting dozens (perhaps hundreds) of Israeli civilians, calling for their immediate release.
“Japan strongly condemns the attacks which severely harmed innocent civilians,” Kishida posted on Sunday, on X (ex-Twitter), offering his condolences and closeness to the families of the victims and the wounded, both in Israel and Gaza.
Kishida refrained from using the word "terrorism" to describe the attack by Hamas, using the expression “Hamas and other Palestinian militants” for the attackers, thus alluding to the presence of other factions.
The approach of US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was different, not hesitating to brand the radical militants who control Gaza as "terrorists".
Japan also did not join the US, the UK, Germany, France and Italy in a joint statement on Monday denouncing Hamas and offering their full and unequivocal support to Israel.
Kishida's cautious attitude can also be seen in the delay in issuing a first official statement on the war between Israel and Hamas, on Sunday, a day after Biden and Sunak had already spoken soon after Hamas launched its attack when the true extent of the tragedy was not yet clear.
Japan, an ally of the United States, has long sought to develop its own diplomatic policy in the Middle East. Some observers have argued that Tokyo, largely dependent on Mideast crude, first sought to vet the response of other countries in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have been improving relations with Israel in recent years.
Case in point: When oil tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in 2019, the United States urged a group of countries to escort ships transiting the region., Japan, which has diplomatic ties with Iran, did not take part in it; instead, it chose to mobilise its Self-Defence Forces in areas of the Middle East other than the affected area.
In addition, Japan has pushed for a two-state solution that provides for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Yet, despite this, “Japan is perceived by Arab nations as being too close to its ally the US, and that creates an obstacle to pursuing its own path,” this according to Shuji Hosaka, director of the Japanese Institute of Middle Eastern Economies at the Institute of Energy Economics.
Meanwhile, Japan’s foreign ministry has placed Gaza on the highest level of alert, urging its citizens to leave. It also called for all non-essential travel to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to be cancelled.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, told reporters yesterday that most of the 30 or so firms with Japanese employees in Israel have already moved their staff out of the country.
Two days earlier, Japanese companies in Israel, including major ones, tried to assess the consequences of Hamas attacks on their employees and their activities. So far, they have reported no staff loss nor damage to their material assets.
Mitsubishi Corp., which has an office in Tel Aviv that oversees joint projects with local start-ups, said it had received no reports of wounded employees. Similarly, Sumitomo Corp. and Toyota Tsusho have vouched for the safety of their staff.
Canon, which has a software development subsidiary in Israel, along with a sales office with dozens of employees, stressed that since its own activities and interests are far from the fighting, it has not suffered any damage so far.
The NTT telecommunications group urged employees of its unit in the country to work from home, while Rakuten Group employees have moved to safer areas on the authorities’ instructions, the company said in a statement.
The Mitsui & Co. trading company stopped employees' business travel to Israel, while Marubeni evacuated its representatives and their families from the Jewish state.
According to the latest available data provided by Japan’s foreign ministry, some 92 Japanese-owned companies operated in Israel in 2019.
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14/10/2022 16:54
