Japan supports Jordan’s custodianship over Jerusalem shrines

TOKYO — Japan fully supports Jordan’s custodianship over the holy sites in Jerusalem and will continue working with the Kingdom to attain the desired peace in the region, according to a top Japanese official.

“We see eye to eye with Jordan on the need to push forward for a two state solution and we will continue to work with Jordan, which is a key partner for Japan in the Middle East,” said Hiroshi Oka, director general of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau at Japan’s foreign ministry.

Jordan is a strategic partner of Japan in fighting terrorism and extremism, he said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times, adding that coordination was ongoing in this regard.

“Jordan is a very credible and serious partner that shares our concerns and will continue to sustain this relationship at all fronts,” he stressed, adding that Jordan’s role is vital for the attainment of peace in the Middle East and progressing in the resolution of the Palestinian issue, noting that Japan will also continue its support to the Palestinians.

The official stated that Japan would continue to support UNRWA amidst severe financial challenges faced by the relief agency for Palestinian refugees.

“UNRWA plays a very important role in providing services to the Palestinian refugees and Japan is committed to continue support for the agency due to this vital role,” he said.

In addition to providing direct support to UNRWA, Japan is also lobbying countries in Asia, mainly Southeast Asian Nations, to support UNRWA and help it overcome its current financial crisis.

Last week, Jordan warned that the lack of funding “would deprive millions of refugees from their rights in education and medical treatment and will deepen their suffering”.

Jordan indicated that UNRWA is facing a deficit that would have catastrophic repercussions on the refugees if not addressed before the current allocations are consumed.

During the interview, Oka said Japan will discuss with Jordan the Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative, which seeks to promote connectivity between Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

“Jordan is a very important partner in the project, which will stretch to the Red Sea and the entire Middle East region,” he said.

The Japanese official said his country would also continue supporting Jordan in light of the difficult financial conditions the country is going through and it is still hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

His remarks came as Tokyo stressed earlier this month that Kingdom needs to start relying on itself and proceed with fiscal reforms as it cannot rely on foreign aid forever, according to a top official at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

While Japan is aware of the current difficult fiscal and economic conditions in Jordan, proceeding with fiscal reforms is “key” for the country’s sustainable development, Masanori Yoshikawa, director of Middle East and Europe Department at JICA, said in an interview with The Jordan Times at JICA’s headquarters in Tokyo.