Israeli PM meets with Japanese lawmakers in Jerusalem, discusses ‘regional challenges’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers at his office in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening.

Netanyahu thanked the parliamentarians for their support for the Jewish state throughout the War of Redemption, sparked by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

“During the meeting, the prime minister discussed regional challenges and the advancement of cooperation between the two countries,” according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Likud Party lawmaker Boaz Bismuth, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, participated in the meeting.

“Together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, I met a delegation of members of parliament from Japan, as part of a diplomatic discussion to strengthen cooperation and ties between the countries,” Bismuth stated.

“I intend to continue to place significant emphasis on strengthening the foreign policy of the State of Israel,” he added.

The delegation on Wednesday morning met Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, according to a statement.

“Glad to meet the largest ever delegation of members of both houses of Japan’s National Diet to Israel, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem,” Sa’ar tweeted.

“I stressed the importance of our strategic partnership with Japan and our will to deepen security ties.”

Sa’ar said he “described the goal of the Hamas terror in Gaza: eliminating the State of Israel,” adding: “If this terror state isn’t dismantled, the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis will continue.”

He concluded, “We’ll continue strengthening our close friendship with Japan!”

In October, Sa’ar congratulated Japan’s first-ever female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, on her “historic election.”

“We look forward to further deepening the partnership between Japan and Israel across various fields and building a prosperous and secure future for both our nations,” he tweeted at the time.

Sa’ar paid a visit to Tokyo in May, marking the first official trip by an Israeli foreign minister to the country in 15 years.