Japanese government welcomes Russia’s proposal on Syrian chemical weapons

Japanese government had given an encouraging assessment to Russia’s proposal on placing the chemical weapons in Syria under international control, Yoshihide Suga, the Chief Cabinet Secretary told a news conference Tuesday. He said the Japanese government would like to support the efforts of the countries concerned and in this context the cabinet sized up Russia’s proposal as a promising tendency. Tokyo will hold close consultations with the countries concerned and will watch the actions of the Syrian authorities to see whether or not Damascus displays a serious approach to the issue. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the US earlier to support Russia’s proposal regarding the placement of Syrian chemical weapons under international control. He said it at a meeting with Natsugo Yamaguchi, the leader of the New Komeito party and a member of the ruling coalition, at the UN headquarters in New York. He made it clear that the acceptance of Russia’s proposal might help prevent a military operation against Syria. US President Barack Obama said in a series of TV interviews Monday night that Russia’s proposal regarding the Syrian weapons meant a "possible breakthrough" and a "potentially positive development". He said he had issued an instruction to the Secretary of State, John Kerry, to discuss the Russian initiative with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.