Japan Foreign Min. Urges Israel to Exercise Restraint

Tokyo, Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya has urged Israel to exercise restraint to stop the Middle East situation from deteriorating further.

During 40-minute telephone talks with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, on Wednesday, Iwaya emphasized that further escalation will not serve the interest of the region or the international community.

On the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, Iwaya spoke about the need to realize a ceasefire and calm down the situation as soon as possible.

He conveyed Japan's deep concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and asked for cooperation to strengthen humanitarian assistance activities there.

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