Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa asked her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian to "play a role" in defusing the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas during their phone talks Tuesday, the Japanese government said.
Kamikawa also told a news conference earlier in the day Japan will provide $10 million (about ¥1.5 billion) in aid for civilians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to deal with the humanitarian crisis amid the war in the Middle East.
During the 20-minute talks, Kamikawa asked Iran to "work on Hamas and play a role in calming the situation," the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. She reiterated Japan's condemnation of Hamas for its "terror attacks" that cannot be justified on any grounds.