Wider World

Japan to Hold Off on Recognizing Palestine, Believing Such Declarations Have Hardened Israel’s Stance

Reuters
Members of the U.N. General Assembly vote on a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 12.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:31 JST, September 18, 2025

The Japanese government is leaning toward not recognizing a Palestinian state for the time being, according to sources close to the government.

This appears to reflect concerns that recognizing Palestine will not restrain Israel in its invasion of the Palestinian territory of Gaza. It is believed that Japan has also taken into account its relations with the pro-Israel administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Japanese government is expected to make an official announcement on the matter soon.

Japan is also considering having Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba skip an international conference on the Palestinian issue on Monday in New York.

Japan supports a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine coexist as independent countries and plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the future. However, it is not likely to offer recognition at this time as the United States has urged it at the working level to not do so.

Countries such as Britain and France have announced they will recognize Palestine, but Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said that this has only hardened Israel’s stance.