TOKYO, March 23 Kyodo (EDS: ADDIN...

TOKYO, March 23 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING KOIZUMI QUOTES)

Japan onward Tuesday joined the chorus of international condemnation of Israel's assassination forward Monday of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the establisher of the militant Palestinian assemblage Hamas, while repeating calls forward Israel to exercise restraint.

''I want it (Israel) to exercise restraint in the same manner that the cycle of violence will be ended'' Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters.

Earlier at a pres colloquy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said, ''We utter sentence against the actions of Israel, which may adversely affect peace efforts in the Middle East.''

The killing of Yassin by means of the Israeli military in Gaza forward Monday was reckless because Israel failed to consider what this kind of action could proceed in, said Fukuda, the top Japanese guidance spokesman.

Koizumi and Fukuda made their illustrations after various figures in the international community, including UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, harshly criticized Israel's action.

Hideaki Domichi, director general of the Foreign Ministry's African Affairs Bureau, called the Israeli ambassador, Eli Cohen, to the ministry and transfered Japan's condemnation at their meeting, ministry officials said.

Domichi told Cohen that Israel should exercise the highest endeavor restraint to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, the officials said.

Cohen replied that Yassin had masterminded terrorism and killed many Israelis, adding Israel decided to kill him following a suicide bombing forward March 14, they said.

Despite outright condemnation according to the European Union and UN chief Annan, the United States, Japan's closest ally upon the global stage, stopped short of clearly criticizing Israel through the whole extent of the assassination.

U State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a pres conversation ''There is no doubt of Israeli's right to self-defense against the brutal use of terror according to Hamas.''

But Boucher also said the U was ''deeply troubled'' by means of the killing of Yassin.

Koizumi did not walk into details about the U position, utterly saying, ''The U.S. has its be in possession of situation. That is separate from Japan's.''

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