Japan Invites Netanyahu to Tokyo Meeting with Abbas, Kushner

The visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono to Yerushalayim on Tuesday produced more than just photo-ops: Japan invited Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to come to Tokyo for a four-way meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. presidential advisor Jared Kushner, according to media reports.

Netanyahu responded positively, Channel 10 reported, though he said he would have to consult with the White House before committing to it.

The Palestinians have refused to meet with American officials, including Kushner, since President Donald Trump recognized Yerushalayim as Israel’s capital.

Kono on Monday laid a wreath at Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center, where he called for stronger ties between the two countries.

He wrote in the memorial’s guest book that he prayed “from the bottom of my heart that such a tragedy will never be repeated.”

At a joint press conference with President Reuven Rivlin, he said Japan “regards Israel as a country full of talent, not just a state of technology, but humanity, art and science.”

“I hope to increase the exchange of people between (the) two countries,” he added.

Kono was also set to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.