February 22, 2024

Japanese Communist Party representative Motomura Nobuko at a meeting of the Lower House Budget Committee on February 21 demanded that Japan resume its contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Japan suspended its funds to UNRWA, which provides essential assistance in Gaza, due to several UNRWA staff members’ alleged involvement in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.

Motomura said that Seita Akihiro, the director of the Health Department at UNRWA, pointed out that the funding suspension by many countries is hindering food aid in Gaza and that this is tantamount to be “a death sentence for Palestinians in Gaza”. She quoted him as saying, “No other organization would be able to provide humanitarian assistance on a scale that UNRWA does.”

She said that the suspension of funds is inhumane, and demanded an immediate resumption of financial contributions to UNRWA by saying that the funds are already earmarked in the 2023 supplementally budget.

However, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Masayoshi insisted on the continuation of Japan’s funding suspension.

Motomura also said, “The Japanese government should directly persuade the Israeli government to agree to a permanent ceasefire,” in order to stop the Israeli military from starting its ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza.