A deputy prime minister from the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan requested Japan’s ambassador to open the embassy of Japan in Kabul after a meeting in the capital city of the nation on Wednesday.
It was requested during the time that Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Ambassador Takashi Okada. Japan temporarily shut down its embassy in Kabul in August. 15th when the Taliban assumed over the nation while the United States prepared to withdraw its troops.
Japan evacuated its staff at the embassy from Afghanistan and transferred diplomatic activities to Doha, Qatar.
Okada announced Tokyo’s plan to reopen the embassy if the security of its citizens is assured. On Tuesday, they had a meeting with Abdul Kabir, another deputy premier responsible for the political aspects.
A top Japanese Foreign Ministry official said the government is looking into the possibility of resuming embassy operations with just local staff; however, the timing of the return “needs to be coordinated in conjunction with the other nations.”
Tokyo has not made any public statement on the issue to date; the chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Mattsuno spoke at a press conference on Wednesday in Tokyo, “We have no concrete plans as of now.”
Regarding whether there is a chance that the Japanese administration will accept the Taliban administration, Matsuno declined to comment on the issue, saying that the circumstances in Afghanistan “remains uncertain.” The Japanese Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that Okada went on a trip of four days to Kabul from Sunday to meet with top Taliban officials, including Baradar.
Japan will continue to engage the Taliban “at the level of a practical conversation,” the ministry said in a statement. It added that Okada requested an interim administration to ensure the security of Japanese personnel and nationals in Afghanistan and to permit their “swift and safe exit” should they want to do so.
Okada was also adamant about seeing the Taliban recognize his rights as “all Afghans including women and ethnic minorities” and establish an “inclusive political system,” insisting that Tokyo is expecting the government to take “positive steps” in these areas, According to the ministry.
The first that high-level discussions among Japan with Kabul’s Taliban in Kabul have been revealed since the Taliban gained control over Afghanistan in August, ahead of the total removal from U.S. troops later that month.
Japan appears to have decided that it is essential to have talks with Taliban officials to aid the needy and yet reluctant to recognize the interim government.
Last month, Okada held talks with the acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Doha and demanded that Afghans working at the embassy and other organizations associated with Japan be guaranteed.
Source: Kyodo
Also read about Demand for foreign workers may soften Japan’s immigration rules