Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister KAMIKAWA Yoko refused to commit Japan to a position on the arrest warrant for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the decision by the International Criminal Court on Friday.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on charges of war crimes for the leaders of Hamas and the Israeli Prime Minister.

When asked if Japan supported such action by the ICC, particularly in relation to Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Kamikawa sidestepped the issue.

“As the Japanese government, I would like to refrain from making any predictions about the ICC’s decision as it is a matter of criminal trial procedures,” she said. “In any case, Japan, as a signatory of the ICC, will continue to pay close attention with strong interest in terms of its impact on the Israeli and Palestinian situations.”

Kamikawa also declined to state whether Japanese officials would engage with those accused of war crimes.