Topic: Question of Palestinian Statehood
Country: Japan
Delegate Name: Fatima Sheikh
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Japan position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
Japan is in favor of a two-state solution to urge peaceful co-existence between Palestine, Israel, and help benefit the rest of the region as well. Making Palestine a separate state, Japan believes, would make diminish violence between the ethnic groups and aid prosperity. During an official meeting in Tokyo in 2012, Prime Minister Hatoyama confirmed Japan's position to support President Abbas (of Palestine) and his efforts for a separate state. In aiding Palestinian Authority in its efforts to build a state, Japan has donated nearly 100 million dollars to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This money was intended to aid education and provide social services for the refuges in Palestinian territory, funding more than 300 schools and providing free education for children up to a certain number of years.
Japan also believes that improving the economy is necessary for a future Palestine State. Both Palestine and Japan are in agreement on this position, that targeting the private sector would help benefit the economy. Also, Japan believes that expanding the effort to cooperate with East Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore would help gain more funding and support. The Corridor for Peace and Prosperity Initiative was designed by Japan to create and carry out projects in the region to promote cooperation, such as building an agro-industrial park near the West Bank to help transport goods. In an effort to mediate and pursue action, Japan is ready to host the first meeting of this Initiative. On a broader scale, Japan wishes to serve as a facilitator between Israelis and Arabs to encourage cooperation and good relations between the region and someday pursue the possibility of an independent Palestinian state, that can easily co-exist with Israel.
