Khaldon Azhari 

TOKYO: NAKAYAMA Yasuhide, Japan’s State Minister and Deputy Defense Minister, has removed a Tweet in which he branded Palestinians in Gaza who belong to Hamas as “terrorists” and defended Israel’s attacks against Gaza.

On May 20, as a ceasefire went to effect between Hamas and Israel, Nakayama said: “I posted (the Tweet)  as a Parliament member because I wanted Japanese people to know what was going on in the Middle East. I deleted it as I was a player in the situation. I wanted to avoid any impact on parliamentary deliberations.”  

Hiroshi Seko, the Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Councilors, told reporters: “Nakayama voluntarily deleted it because he caused trouble.”  

Palestinian ambassador to Japan Waleed Siam told Arab News Japan that Nakayama’s “racist and discriminatory” tweet showed “a lack of respect for the loss of innocent lives of Palestinain civilians killed by the so-called self-defense forces.” Siam also said that Nakayama should apologize to the Palestinian people and just removing his Tweet was an insufficient response.

Nakayama was absent from a session at the House of Councillors’ Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, apparently avoiding more pressure from the opposition parties who were planning to question him over his Tweet.  

Foreign Ministry officials said their government position on Israel and Gaza was different from Nakayama’s views.

“Our hearts are with Israel …against Hamas Terrorists…,” was what Nakayama tweeted, a message that shocked members of the Arab and Muslims diplomatic corps and social community in Japan. Protestors took to the streets in Tokyo to denounce Nakayama, calling for his resignation and labeling him “unqualified” for government office.

Nakayama has been a longtime member of Japan- Israel  Parliamentary Friendship Association and once lived in Israel’s Kupiz. He has traveled to Israel many times and has strong relations with the Israeli embassy in Tokyo, according to informed sources.

Nakayama appears unrepentant, telling a Japanese TV program why Israel should bomb Gaza to protect its people from terrorists. Nakayama supported “targeted” bombing of Gaza City by Israel as long as it alerted people to evacuate buildings before it turned them to dust. This included leveling the media tower in Gaza where many media companies had offices, including AP and Al Jazeera. Nakayama suggested this was legitimate self-defense by Israel. That bombing was strongly denounced by governments and media all over the world, including the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.

“What would you do?,” Nakayama Tweeted. “One day, more than 300 rockets are suddenly shot by terrorists within 24 hours, taking the lives of their [Israeli] families and [destroying] their homes. Israel has the right to protect itself from terrorists. Who was the first to shoot rockets at the civilians? Our hearts are with Israel.”

“He has forgotten that Israel is an occupying power, and systematically and methodically aims to alter the legal status of East Jerusalem by expanding illegal settlements. He is supporting Israel’s colonization of the Palestinian territories,” the Palestinian ambassador said. “He makes a false equivalence that is both unacceptable and disingenuous. It is especially disappointing because it was issued by this Japanese official.”