Japanese government had given an encouraging assessment to Russia’s proposal on placing the chemical weapons in Syria under international control, Yoshihide Suga, the Chief Cabinet Secretary told a news conference Tuesday. He said the Japanese government would like to support the efforts of the countries concerned and in this context the cabinet sized up Russia’s proposal as a promising tendency. Tokyo will hold close consultations with the countries concerned and will watch the actions of the Syrian authorities to see whether or not Damascus displays a serious approach to the issue. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the US earlier to support Russia’s proposal regarding the placement of Syrian chemical weapons under international control. He said it at a meeting with Natsugo Yamaguchi, the leader of the New Komeito party and a member of the ruling coalition, at the UN headquarters in New York. He made it clear that the acceptance of Russia’s proposal might help prevent a military operation against Syria. US President Barack Obama said in a series of TV interviews Monday night that Russia’s proposal regarding the Syrian weapons meant a \"possible breakthrough\" and a \"potentially positive development\". He said he had issued an instruction to the Secretary of State, John Kerry, to discuss the Russian initiative with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.