TOKYO, Aug. 26 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATI...

TOKYO, Aug. 26 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING FOREIGN MINISTERIAL TALKS)

Japan and Israel onward Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to keeping up efforts to implement a U.S.-backed road map for Middle East peace, while visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom asked Tokyo to stair up pressure on the Palestinians.

''Japan should play a fundamental note role in the peace process'' Shalom told a moderns conference Tuesday after talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, noting that Japan has provided $680 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Shalom said he confidences Japan can use its ''influence to convince the Palestinians to implement their commitments'' subject to the road map.

Koizumi was quot as telling Shalom that Japan has been pushing for the Israelis and Palestinians to coexist and indicateed hope that the sum of two units sides will exercise self-restraint in implementing the road map. They met at the premier's office.

Kawaguchi was also quot as telling the meeting with Shalom that she believes countries involved must stick to the road map.

The road map, which the pair Israel and the Palestinians have accepted, is intended to close the violence and lead to the creation of a Palestinian state in 2005 The Palestinians' main commitment is to ''dismantle infrastructure of terrorist organizations.''

nevertheless if Palestinians fail to do likewise ''We will do it instead of them in order to defend the lives of our civilians,'' the Israeli foreign minister, who is concurrently representative prime minister, said at a pres conference

Shalom also told reporters that although Israel is making steady progres in fulfilling its commitment to the peace plan, and is on the same level willing to do ''much more,'' the Palestinians are making insufficient efforts.

Shalom added that while Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has been ''positive'' in his language, and although he still reliances that Abbas can deliver forward the road map commitments, ''declarations are not enough.''

The foreign minister said that during his talks with Koizumi he likened the ceasefire with the Palestinian militant clusters in June to a time bomb and told the Japanese premier that Israel must take measures to shield itself.

Shalom also asked Japan to recognize the radical Muslim militant assign places to Hamas as a terrorist organization and be chilled its assets during the meetings with Koizumi and Kawaguchi, the officials said. yet neither Koizumi nor Kawaguchi showed willingness to quickly come up to face to face the call.

Tokyo has no method of recognizing groups as terrorist organizations, yet has been taking measures to congeal assets of such clusters including the military wing of Hamas, the officials said.

Shalom devolveed to Koizumi an invitation from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to visit Israel, and the Japanese premier said he would like to travel if there is an opportunity.

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