Relationship dossier
Israel
Japan
Relationship assessment
A growing strategic partnership, accompanied by differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel toward Japan
+30Israel has pursued closer political and economic ties with Japan, including high-level engagement and bilateral cooperation in areas such as science, technology and investment. The two countries established a strategic partnership.
Japan toward Israel
+25Japan has developed political and economic cooperation with Israel, including a strategic partnership and investment-related engagement. It also supports a two-state solution and has criticized Israeli settlement policy, reflecting significant differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship has a durable basis in diplomatic engagement and expanding practical cooperation, including a strategic partnership and work on investment and technology. These ties coexist with recurring Japanese objections to Israeli settlement policy and differing positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Israel and Japan have developed practical cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, alongside high-level political engagement and a strategic partnership. Japan’s support for a two-state solution and criticism of Israeli settlement policy create recurring differences, particularly over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The relationship combines growing cooperation with distinct policy disagreements.
Areas of tension
- Israeli settlement policy and Japan’s criticism of settlement activity.
- Different positions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a two-state solution.
Key developments
Israel and Japan elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership during high-level talks.
The two governments advanced bilateral investment-related cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation in technology and investment are unclear.
- The extent to which disagreements over Israeli settlement policy affect broader cooperation is uncertain.