Japan likely to attend 'Board of Peace' meeting in US: Report

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan is likely to attend the first meeting of the US-led "Board of Peace" to be held in Washington, DC, this week, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported on Monday, citing government sources.

Tokyo is considering sending Takeshi Okubo, the ambassador in charge of Gaza reconstruction assistance, to the meeting.

Although Japan has yet to decide whether it will join the board, its consideration to send the envoy to Thursday's meeting intends to demonstrate the importance of the Washington-Tokyo alliance, ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi next month, the report said.

Japan also intends to explain its position on contributing to the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza.

Takaichi was invited to the upcoming meeting but decided not to attend as a special parliamentary session convenes on Wednesday, following her party's landslide victory in snap elections earlier this month.

Trump, who serves as chairman of the Board of Peace, said Sunday that the board members will announce pledges exceeding $5 billion for Gaza's reconstruction and thousands of personnel for a planned international stabilization force during the meeting.

On Jan. 22, representatives of 19 countries signed the Charter of the Board of Peace on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The board was established within the framework of efforts toward a peaceful settlement in the Gaza Strip, and seeks peacemaking around the world. Washington has said additional states have since joined the initiative.

The White House last month announced the formation of a "technocratic" National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to oversee the transition of power as part of Trump's 20-point plan for the war-battered enclave.

A ceasefire agreement on Oct. 10, 2025 ended Israel’s two-year war in Gaza that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, and destroyed 90% of civilian infrastructure. The UN estimates reconstruction costs at approximately $70 billion. At least 601 Palestinians have also been killed and over 1,600 others injured in Israeli attacks since the truce, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.