Japan succeeded Guyana in the post amid intense negotiations to issue a binding document demanding an end to the conflict in the enclave besieged by Israel.
In February, the US delegation vetoed for the third time a proposal by Algeria calling for an end to hostilities.
The United Nations Security Council’s presidency is held by each member in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the member states’ names.
jrr/iff/mem/ebr