Japan won’t move embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds

Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono says Tokyo will not move its embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds, stressing that the status of the holy city should be determined through dialog.

During a visit to Amman on Tuesday, Kano sat down for talks with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, over a recent US decision on December 6 to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital.”

The controversial decision was announced on December 6 by US President Donald Trump, who also said the White House was preparing to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli-occupied city.

During the talks, Safadi, whose country is the custodian of the Haram al-Sharif in East Jerusalem al-Quds, stressed that the status of the holy city should be decided “through direct negotiations and according to the relevant international resolutions.”

Kano also said his country, a longstanding US ally, would not follow in US footsteps on Jerusalem al-Quds, and agreed with Safadi that dialog is needed to determine the status of the city.