Japan Cooperates With European, Arabian And African Partners To Recognise Palestine
On September 20, 2025 an X user @rkmtimes, claimed that Japan has agreed to support international laws, ICJ and United Nation and European, Arabian and African partners to recognise Palestine or Release first aid package. The post had an image of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and the Japanese Flag, with the caption “JUST IN🇯🇵🇵🇸🇮🇱🔥Japan says, It will support International law, ICJ and UN with our European, Arabian and African partners to recognise #Palestine or Release first aid package.”
When this report was published, this claim had about 15,600 views and over 2,100 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and bookmarks. In the comment section, @8282cat said “Protesters denounce the Foreign Ministry over Japan’s decision not to recognize Palestine” and @as_kouzuki wrote “Unfortunately, Japan is following America's lead, so it's not possible”.
VERIFICATION
On September 19, 2025, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya confirmed that the Japanese government is carefully assessing the pathways most conducive to achieving a two-state solution and remains committed to pursuing diplomatic efforts in that direction.
While Japan consistently emphasises the importance of international law and the role of the United Nations in international governance and resolving conflicts, there is no official statement linking Japan’s recognition of Palestine directly to support for International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings. While lawmakers and activists inside Japan have urged recognition, Tokyo’s stance remains cautious. There is also no evidence of alignment with Europe, the Arab world, and Africa to recognise Palestine.
As part of ongoing humanitarian commitments, Japan has extended aid to the Palestinian people. In May 2025, Tokyo announced funding to support humanitarian relief in Gaza through the World Health Organisation, WHO and the World Food Programme, WFP. This assistance was not linked to any recognition of Palestine but was purely a humanitarian initiative.
Japan maintains a cautious but steady relationship with Africa, Europe, and the Arabian region. It focuses on development cooperation, building strong economic and strategic ties, especially through trade and partnership agreements and relying heavily on Gulf states for energy security and contributes mainly through humanitarian aid, while avoiding involvement in sovereignty disputes. And so far, no collective statement has emerged from the aforementioned regions in support of a joint recognition of Palestine as a state.
Shifts At The 2025 United Nations General Assembly For The Recognition Of Palestine
At the recently concluded United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, several European nations, joined Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates in formally recognising Palestine as a state. Although it marks a significant shift in the recognition of international support for Palestinian statehood, Japan and African countries were not a part of this process.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Japan has pledged to recognise Palestine in coordination with European, Arab, and African partners is FALSE. While Japan has reaffirmed its support for international laws and the UN, it still supports the two-state solution, and there is no evidence of its willingness to recognise Palestine.
