Japan urges calm as India-Pakistan tensions escalate
The Japanese government issued a statement following India's attack on Pakistan, calling on both sides to exercise restraint and prevent the outbreak of a full-scale armed conflict. India stated that this operation was in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir.
"For the peace and stability of South Asia, we strongly urge both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stabilise the situation through dialogue," said government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi during a press briefing.
"We express strong concern that this situation may lead to further retaliatory exchanges and escalate into a full-scale military conflict," he added.
Reaction to the attack in Kashmir
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Takeshi Iwaya recalled that the Japanese government strongly condemned the terrorist act of April 22, when attackers targeted tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, killing 26 people.
Iwaya also assured that Tokyo will take all measures to protect Japanese citizens in the region and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
Tragic victim count
Pakistani army spokesperson Gen. Ahmed Chaudhry stated on Wednesday that 26 civilians were killed and 46 were injured due to attacks by the Indian army on "six locations" in Pakistan.
On the Indian side, the army reported 10 killed and 48 injured in retaliatory attacks by Pakistan.
India's Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday that as part of retaliatory actions for the April attack, it shelled "terrorist infrastructure" targets in Pakistan and the Pakistan-administered part of the disputed region of Kashmir. The authorities in Islamabad described the attacks as a "blatant act of war."
