Overview
- In a UN General Assembly address, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba condemned Israel’s expanded ground operation in Gaza as unacceptable and said recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not whether.
- Ishiba and U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres agreed to promote Security Council reform and to coordinate on nuclear disarmament, non‑proliferation and North Korea, including the abductions issue.
- Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya urged expansion of both permanent and non‑permanent Council seats at a France‑hosted session, calling for remedies to historical injustices affecting Africa and consideration for small island and medium‑sized states.
- At a high‑level conference on Palestine, Iwaya reaffirmed backing for a two‑state solution, criticized Israeli measures that would foreclose that outcome, and said Tokyo is weighing recognition with increased seriousness.
- Diplomatic outreach spanned G7 and regional partner meetings, yet experts caution that the five permanent members’ vested interests make substantive Council reform unlikely in the near term.