Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to Israel at the start of a meeting between the two delegations in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Sa’ar in his opening remarks noted that Motegi chose Israel as his first bilateral diplomatic visit since assuming office on Oct. 21.
“Israel and Japan are two ancient peoples, in fact, two civilizations with ancient traditions and history. We share democratic values and strong friendship,” the Israeli minister said.
Sa’ar stressed that in a changing world, democracies such as Israel and Japan “must cooperate and deepen their strategic ties,” adding that Jerusalem is committed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan and to regional stability, and calling for Hamas to disarm and for Gaza to be demilitarized.
Israel extends its hand to its neighbors for peace and to expand the Abraham Accords, Sa’ar said, adding that it is essential for building trust that the Palestinian Authority end its “pay-for-slay” policy in which it financially rewards terrorists and their families, its incitement in education and media, and its diplomatic war against the Jewish state.
“We thank Japan, which since Oct. 7 has recognized Israel’s right to defend itself, has called for the unconditional release of our hostages and has imposed sanctions on Hamas leaders,” Sa’ar said. “We’ll work together to strengthen bilateral relations across all fields between our countries and nations.”
Honored to host Japanese FM @moteging in Israel, his first destination for a bilateral diplomatic visit as Foreign Minister.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) January 11, 2026
We're both ancient peoples with shared democratic values and a strong friendship. As the world is changing quickly, democratic countries like Israel and… pic.twitter.com/ALhbc6EOrY
This is Motegi’s second term as foreign minister, having served for two years, until 2021, under the late Shinzo Abe, a conservative prime minister who overhauled and significantly upgraded his country’s ties with Israel. Abe was assassinated in 2022 by a man who said he’d killed Abe over Abe’s ties to the Unification Church, a religious movement that was founded by Sun Myung Moon in South Korea in 1954.
The visit follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting on Jan. 6 with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers at his office in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu thanked the parliamentarians for their support for the Jewish state throughout the War of Redemption, sparked by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
“During the meeting, the prime minister discussed regional challenges and the advancement of cooperation between the two countries,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The delegation met Sa’ar at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Jan. 7.
“Glad to meet the largest ever delegation of members of both houses of Japan’s National Diet to Israel, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem,” Sa’ar tweeted. “I stressed the importance of our strategic partnership with Japan and our will to deepen security ties.”
Sa’ar said he “described the goal of the Hamas terror in Gaza: eliminating the State of Israel,” adding, “If this terror state isn’t dismantled, the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis will continue.”
He concluded, “We’ll continue strengthening our close friendship with Japan!”
On Oct. 21, Sa’ar congratulated Japan’s first-ever female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, on her “historic election.”
“We look forward to further deepening the partnership between Japan and Israel across various fields and building a prosperous and secure future for both our nations,” he tweeted at the time.
Sa’ar paid a visit to Tokyo in May, marking the first trip by an Israeli foreign minister to the country in 15 years.
