ISTANBUL 

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday that Tokyo will join new international efforts to address the financial crisis in Palestine, Jiji Press reported.

"As Palestine is set to be invited as a responsible member of the international community (in the future), it is necessary to build a responsible governance system there," Ishiba said at a news conference in New York.

"We will participate in the new effort with France, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and other like-minded countries to ensure the governance of Palestine," he added.

Ishiba's remarks followed his speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where the outgoing premier condemned Israel’s expanded military operations in Gaza and warned of a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.

"The situation surrounding Palestine has reached an extremely serious and alarming juncture that threatens to undermine the very foundation of a two-state solution, which the international community has long sought and which Japan has consistently supported. The recent expansion of the Israeli ground operations in Gaza City will further aggravate the already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including famine,” Ishiba told the UN on Tuesday.

"Japan condemns these actions, which are entirely unacceptable in the strongest possible terms. We call for their immediate cessation. I feel strongly indignant by the statements made by senior Israeli government officials that appear to categorically reject the very notion of Palestinian state building," he added.

On Monday, Japan had already signaled potential policy shifts, warning Israel of “new measures and a response” if Tel Aviv further obstructs a two-state solution.

“Japan fully supports the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state,” Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said at a UN conference on Palestine in New York.

“Should Israel take further actions that block the path to the realization of a two-state solution, Japan will be compelled to introduce new measures and a response,” Iwaya warned.

According to a UN commission of inquiry, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 65,000 since October 2023, while the UN and international aid agencies warn that famine and disease are spreading as access to food, water, and medical supplies remains severely restricted.