Tokyo Considers Plan to Treat Gaza Victims in Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced that his government is considering a plan to provide medical care in Japan to injured and sick individuals from Gaza.
Ishiba stated during a parliamentary session that his administration is working on a program to offer support in Japan “for patients or victims from Gaza.” He added that opportunities for education could also be provided to residents of Gaza, which is currently under a fragile ceasefire with Israel. Ishiba was responding to a question from a lawmaker about whether a 2017 program to accept Syrian refugee students could be used as a model to assist Gaza residents.
“We are considering launching a similar program for Gaza, and the government will make efforts to implement this plan,” he said. The measures discussed in parliament differ from Japan’s immigration policy, which has faced criticism for the low number of asylum requests approved.
In 2023, Japan is set to accept 1,310 asylum applications, less than 10 percent of the total 13,823 applicants. By the end of last year, Japan had accepted a total of 82 Syrian applicants recognized as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official in charge of aid programs.
The official told the French Press Agency that the program aims to educate future leaders in Syria as part of Japan’s long-term foreign aid policy. Gaza’s Health Ministry, under Hamas, reported that 50 Palestinian patients, including 30 children suffering from cancer, and their companions, crossed the Rafah crossing to Egypt on Saturday as part of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19.
The Director of Gaza Hospitals stated that 6,000 patients are ready to be transferred from the Palestinian territories, and more than 12,000 are “in urgent need of treatment.”
