Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan is keeping a very close eye on the situation in Jordan, a strategic partner for Japan, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday.

“Stability in the Middle East region is very important for Japan, and for that stability, Jordan is a very important country,” Motegi said in reply to a question by Arab News Japan at a press conference in the Foreign Ministry.

He added: “During the time of the Iraqi war, I twice visited Baghdad and both times I went from Amman. So, for the stability of the Middle East, we would like to continue to have close coordination with Jordan so that we can work toward peace and stability together.”

It was the first official remarks by the Japanese government on the recent developments in Jordan.

 Japanese media has also been following the developments in Jordan after the house arrest order against Prince Hamza, the former crown prince and a half-brother of King Abdullah. In addition to the prince, around 20 other people were detained, including ex-officials and others related to the royal court.

The Mainichi Shimbun said the reason for the arrest order in Jordan, a pro-American country in the Middle East, was “for attempting to destabilize the country.”

“In 2004, the king removed Prince Hamza, who was supposed to succeed him, from the position of crown prince, and strengthened his royal authority. After that, there is a theory that the prince worked to gain the support of influential tribes, which angered the king,” the Japanese paper said.

Japanese media also reported on a video message sent to the BBC by the Prince’s lawyer in which the Prince revealed that he had been placed under house arrest. He also pleaded his innocence and criticized the current “corrupt” system.

Jordan maintains close relations with the US and diplomatic relations with Israel, and its royal family interacts with the Japanese imperial family. The king is considered pro-Japanese family, the Mainichi said.

Shin Sasaki, a former Kyodo news agency correspondent in Beirut and Cairo, who is now teaching at Seisa University Graduate School, wrote an analysis in Wedge, a popular online media outlet, “An attempted court coup in Jordan?”

Sasaki said “the truth remains unclear about the King’s half-brother, Prince Hamza, being placed under house arrest.”

“The feud between the two sides has been whispered about for more than a decade, but this time it erupted into the open.”

The former crown prince was born to Princess Nur, the fourth wife of the late King Hussein. King Abdullah is the son of Hussein’s second wife, Princess Munna, and they are half-brothers. Hussein died in 1999 and Prince Hamza was crown prince for four years under the new king Abdullah. However, in 2004, the king relieved Prince Hamza of his post and appointed his son Prince Hussein as the new crown prince.

The Saudi government issued a statement following the incident and said it supported King Abdullah’s decisions and measures.

A US State Department spokesman also said he was closely watching the situation in Jordan and was in contact with Jordanian officials. The Biden administration wants to avoid destabilizing Jordan, which is pro-American, while its influence on the Middle East is decreasing. They said they will do their best to support the Abdullah regime, including an investigation into the involvement of foreign powers, according to Sasaki.