Japan's ruling bloc to closely monitor U.S. decision on Syria

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Japan's ruling bloc to closely monitor U.S. decision on Syria

(Xinhua) 17:53, September 04, 2013

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TOKYO, Sept. 4 -- Japan's ruling camp agreed Wednesday that it will closely monitor the decisions by the U.S. government and its congress over the Syrian conflict regarding to a possible military attack on the Mideast country, reported local media.

During a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who led the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the small ruling party the New Komeito Party, the two party leaders also agreed that the use of chemical weapons under any circumstances can not be tolerated.

The U.S. government said it has evidence that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons on Aug. 21 and U.S President Barack Obama said he will seek approval from the congress to take possible military actions against the Syrian government.

The ruling bloc also said it is necessary to extend humanitarian support for refugees fleeing Syria to neighboring countries like Lebanon, Japan's Kyodo News quoted Yamaguchi as saying.

The meeting was held before Yamaguchi's two-day visit to the United States, where he is expected to hold talks with U.S. vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry on Sept. 10 and 11.

Abe has left Tokyo for Russia after the meeting to attend a summit of the Group of 20 from Thursday, with the Syria issue seen as a hot topic, said Kyodo.

Japan and the United States confirmed Tuesday that they will cooperate on the current Syria conflict during a phone call between Abe and Obama.

Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga, however, said Tuesday that although Japan believes the chemical weapons were highly likely used, it is still working on who used the weapons.

"As to who used the chemical weapons, we have been collecting and analyzing data by continuing to communicate closely with the countries concerned, including the United States," Suga said.

Abe also requested the United States to make efforts to obtain a resolution from the UN Security Council that would approve a military strike against Syria.

（Editor：WangXin、Hongyu）