Passing through Poland en route to Kyiv
G7 Chair Japan likely to express support for Ukraine
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a surprise visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. With the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit scheduled for May, this sudden visit to Kyiv, which had been postponed due to security concerns, is seen as a decisive move. As the leader of Japan, the chair country of this year's G7, he is expected to express additional support for Ukraine and his stance on sanctions against Russia.
On the 21st, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Prime Minister Kishida would visit Kyiv, Ukraine, to hold a summit meeting with President Zelensky. The ministry also stated that the following day, he would visit Poland for another summit meeting and then return to Japan on the 23rd.
NHK reported that Prime Minister Kishida moved to the Polish border area in the morning and was en route to Ukraine by train. Kishida, who had been visiting India since the 19th, was scheduled to return to Japan in the afternoon but instead took a charter flight to Poland. During this meeting, Kishida is expected to criticize Russia's invasion of Ukraine and express additional support for Ukraine.
Above all, this visit appears to be aimed at asserting Japan's presence as the chair country of the G7. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the G7 summit to be held in Hiroshima in May.
The Asahi Shimbun reported, "All G7 leaders except Japan have visited Ukraine and held face-to-face talks with President Zelensky," adding, "It seems that Kishida judged it essential to visit Kyiv in person and hold talks with Zelensky to appeal for G7 unity."
Japanese media reported that during this meeting, Prime Minister Kishida plans to express his intention to strengthen support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia centered on the G7. Since the G7 summit will be held in Hiroshima, the site of the atomic bomb attack, he is also expected to mention the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons and appeal for peace and nuclear disarmament.
Attention is also focused on Japan's additional support plan for Ukraine. Since Japan cannot provide lethal equipment to other countries, it has so far supported Ukraine with drones, bulletproof vests, and generators, as well as assistance in removing landmines and unexploded ordnance. The Asahi added, "It is expected that Japan will convey its intention to continue meticulous support suited to its characteristics."
Earlier, on January 6, Prime Minister Kishida had a phone call with President Zelensky, during which he was invited to visit Kyiv. To this end, it is known that there were deep discussions about Kishida visiting Kyiv at the end of last month, the first anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, or the two leaders holding talks in New York, USA.
However, security issues and the process of prior reporting to the parliament became obstacles. Since Japan cannot have an army or special agencies under its post-World War II pacifist constitution, it is impossible to use a secret security agency to protect the prime minister or to use Japan's reconnaissance aircraft. Additionally, since it is customary to report to the parliament before the prime minister travels abroad, and this could not be done for security reasons, persuading the parliament took additional time.
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