The Government of Japan deplores the decisions of the Government of Israel to give permission for the construction of 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem in addition to 112 units in West Bank just after the Israeli and Palestinian leadership’s acceptance of the start of indirect talks. The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of Jerusalem and the territories in the pre-1967 borders Japan condemns the demolishing of a part of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem with a view to constructing new housing units for Jewish people.
Japan does not recognize any unilateral measures that prejudge the final resolution on pre-1967 borders, nor does Japan recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel. In this regard, Japan urges Israel to refrain from any unilateral act that could change the existing conditions of East Jerusalem. Ambassador Yutaka Iimura, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East, who was in Israel, has already informed Israeli Government officials of Japanese views.
Japan once again strongly encourages both the Israel and the Palestinian sides to focus on the goal of a two-state solution, which is important not only for the Middle East but also for the international community as a whole; to act in such a way that mutual trust will be developed; and to continue efforts for peace tenaciously.
Japan welcomes the series of economic measures announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Quartet Representative Tony Blair on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Japan hopes that based on this announcement, measures will be fully and promptly implemented for economic growth as well as for the improvement of the social and living conditions in the Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip. Japan will pay close attention to any developments surrounding this matter. Japan also hopes that these measures will enhance the mutual trust between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, although they are not a substitute for negotiations for Middle East peace. Japan, for its part, calls upon both parties to exert further efforts for the resumption of peace negotiations. The Government of Japan is concerned about the Jerusalem municipal planning committee’s approval of a plan to build housing units for Jewish people in the Sheih Jarrah of East Jerusalem. Such act goes against the efforts by the international community to resume the negotiations. The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of the territories in the pre-1967 borders nor Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem. Japan urges Israel to refrain from any unilateral act that
changes the current situation in East Jerusalem.
The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis. "At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Japan earthquake was the fourth most powerful ever recorded with a magnitude of 9.1, twice more powerful than the initial estimate of 8.9, Gerard Fryer, geophysicist of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said this morning. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Sunday he was confident that the nation could overcome the crisis caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami disaster, which he termed the biggest crisis Japan has faced since the end of World War Two.
Workers continued efforts to cool down fuel rods inside two nuclear reactors Sunday as a Japanese government official warned that a second explosion could occur at the plant. The aftermath of the devastating earthquake -- from the scores of casualties to the nuclear concerns at the plant in Fukushima prefecture -- marks the "toughest and most difficult crisis for Japan" since the end of World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Sunday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said an explosion could take place in the building housing the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan. About 24 percent of electricity in Japan is produced by 55 nuclear power units in 17 plants and some were in trouble after the quake. The Bank of Japan began pouring cash into the banking system after the nation’s most powerful earthquake on record, while later today it may keep its asset- purchase plans unchanged as officials gauge the longer-term effect on the world’s third-largest economy. Governor Masaaki Shirakawa told reporters late yesterday he’s ready to unleash “massive” liquidity, and the BOJ said today it will pump 7 trillion yen ($86 billion) to maintain financial stability. Economists said officials will likely decide to keep longer-term credit programs at a total of 35 trillion yen. The bank’s main interest rate has already been cut to near zero as policy makers last year sought to end the nation’s deflation. The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake was followed by at least 19 aftershocks, most of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles from the epicenter. Houses and others burn in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, March 11, 2011 after Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast earlier in the day. (Kyodo News/AP Photo) | 
I know it's a bit late, but similar incidents have happened to the USA when the West Bank was argued to be handed over to the Palestinians and then Katrina happened one year later, to the day.
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