Tokyo, 11 October, /AJMEDIA/
Japan will make every effort to ensure the safety of its nationals, the government said Tuesday, as the death toll continues to rise from large-scale attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas and retaliatory strikes from the Israel Defense Forces.
The government has not received any reports of casualties or injuries to Japanese people since Saturday’s flare-up in the long-running conflict, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular press conference.
There are still “a small number of Japanese” remaining in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the top government spokesman said, while adding it has been in contact with all of them.
Matsuno’s remarks come as more than 100 people, including foreign nationals, have been taken hostage by Hamas fighters.
Japan “strongly condemns” the attacks by Hamas and the abductions of innocent citizens, Matsuno said, emphasizing that such actions “cannot be justified” regardless of the purpose.
As this year’s chair of the Group of Seven major developed economies, Japan will continue to collaborate with the international community and call on both sides to stabilize the situation, he added.
The number of combined casualties from the conflict topped 1,500 by Tuesday, according to local media and authorities.
