To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), speaks in an interview at the UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem on Feb. 28.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
14:30 JST, March 22, 2024
Arrangements are being made for Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), to visit Japan next week, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Thursday.
Lazzarini is expected to discuss the resumption of Japan’s financial contribution to the U.N. agency.
UNRWA has been under suspicion that its staff members were involved in a surprise attack on Israel by the Islamist group Hamas in October last year. In January, the Japanese government announced it was suspending its funding to the U.N. agency, calling for stronger governance.
Lazzarini is expected to explain to the Japanese government UNRWA’s efforts to strengthen governance, among other issues. An interim report has also been submitted by an independent U.N. investigation team.
Regarding the Japanese government’s response, Hayashi said Tokyo “wants to proceed with consideration swiftly.”
