Japan foreign minister heads to Israel to urge humanitarian pause

Kamikawa to meet Israeli, Palestinian counterparts as crisis deepens

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa vows continued diplomatic efforts toward the Israel-Hamas war on Nov. 2. (Photo by Yuki Fujita)

RYO NEMOTO, Nikkei staff writer

November 3, 2023 00:05 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa plans to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories on Friday, where she will call for a temporary humanitarian cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Kamikawa departed Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Thursday afternoon. She will visit Tel Aviv as well as Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and is expected to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.