"Japan Weighs Sending Ambassador to Trump's First Peace Committee Meeting...Membership on Hold"

Move to Underscore the Japan-U.S. Alliance

Kyodo News reported on the 16th that the Japanese government is considering dispatching Okubo Takeshi, Ambassador in Charge of Assistance for the Reconstruction of Gaza, to the first meeting of the Peace Committee to be chaired by President Donald Trump of the United States on the 19th (local time).

The intention is to demonstrate an emphasis on the Japan-United States alliance by sending a Japanese representative to the meeting led by President Trump. However, a Japanese government official said that, like the other Group of Seven (G7) countries apart from the United States, Japan plans to put its membership in the Peace Committee on hold.

Trump Donald, President of the United States. Reuters Yonhap

The Peace Committee originated from President Trump's peace initiative for the Gaza Strip and was officially launched on January 22 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

On the 15th (local time), President Trump stated on the social media platform Truth Social that the countries participating in the Peace Committee had pledged to provide more than 5 billion dollars (about 7.2 trillion won) in humanitarian aid and reconstruction support, and that this would be announced at the first Peace Committee meeting to be held in Washington, D.C., on the 19th.

Kyodo News also reported that the Japanese government does not plan to participate in the financial support.