TOKYO, March 22 Kyodo (EDS: ADDIN...

TOKYO, March 22 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING REMARKS at KOIZUMI, ABE)

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi upon Monday urged Israel to exercise restraint and not accelerate violence in the Middle East, following the death of Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the Hamas Islamic militant clump in an Israeli attack.

''The period of violence or hatred should be quickly extreme pointed I hope both sides will make efforts toward a peaceful solution by dint of exercising restraint,'' the premier told reporters.

Koizumi was commenting onward reports that Yassin had been killed the same day in a predawn Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, the top Japanese control spokesman, told a press talk earlier Monday, ''Our native land asks the Israeli government to exercise all restraint in the way that that things will be brought back in a less degree than control.''

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi also called onward both Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint to calm the situation. ''The Japanese rule expresses concerns over the killing,'' she said in a statement.

''It appears the vicious revolution of time of hatred and violence has been expanding, and the Japanese direction is also greatly concerned about that,'' she said.

Kawaguchi said the Israeli restraint and the Palestinians should make efforts to impede the situation from deteriorating on a level further.

Shinzo Abe, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, urg the Japanese command to compile measures to help address the Middle Eastern issue.

''Our land has to do what it can to break the circle of time of terrorism and retaliation,'' Abe told a pres conference

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