Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu on Monday said Japan had raised the risk level on the Gaza Strip from Level 3 to Level 4 as a result of the ongoing confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians.

Level 3 is a “Recommendation for Suspension of Travel”, while Level 4 is a “Recommendation for Evacuation”.

“Yesterday, in view of the possibility that the situation could develop into an unexpected situation, we raised the risk information for the Gaza Strip,” Motegi said. “We would like to urge Japanese people living in and around the Gaza Strip to evacuate immediately and to stop traveling to and entering the Gaza Strip.”

Motegi largely avoided taking sides, although he did say that Israel’s attacks were in response to rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

“The Israeli-Palestinian situation is deteriorating day by day due to the ongoing attacks by Palestinian armed groups and the counterattacks by Israeli forces,” Motegi said. “The Japanese government expresses grave concern over the situation. Since May 10, a number of rockets have been fired daily from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, and in response Israeli forces’ attacks against the Gaza Strip are ongoing, resulting in heavy casualties.”

Motegi also condemned the blowing up of a building housing many media outlets, although he did so in very non-judgmental terms: “I believe that it is also important that the situation in the region be accurately reported to the world. Our fundamental stance is that we call on both Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint, so I would like to urge both sides to immediately stop such violence, including the recent bombing of a building.”

Japan, he added, would “continue to closely monitor the local situation.”