Japan called on Israel today to pull its forces back from the west bank of the Suez Canal. The appeal was made by Mizuo Kuroda. chief spokesman of the Foreign Ministry at a press briefing in Tokyo today, it was learned here. Kuroda said that an Israeli pullback to the positions it held when the first UN cease fire went into effect Oct. 22 should be the first step in a total withdrawal from all occupied Arab territory.
His remarks represented the latest admonition to Israel by Japanese officials since Tokyo embraced the Arab cause in the Middle East in direct response to the oil boycott. Tokyo newspapers commented that Kuroda’s statement was intended as. “supporting fire” for Deputy Premier Takeo Miki who is visiting eight Arab states and is due in Cairo tomorrow His tour is part of Japan’s move to placate the Arab world on which it depends for 42 percent of its oil supplies.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
