Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, which began on Monday and will last three days, has already aroused reactions from the leaders of some countries allied with Ukraine. One of them is Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, who he will make a surprise visit to kyiv this tuesday meet Volodymyr Zelensky and “show his respect for the courage and patience of the Ukrainians”.
Japanese public television network NTV showed Kishida on a train from Poland to Kiev.
His surprise trip to Ukraine comes hours after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and a week after holding a major summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yoel.
During his visit to Ukraine, Kishida “he will show his respect for the courage and patience of the Ukrainian peoplewho is standing up to defend his homeland under the leadership of President Zelensky, and as the leader of Japan and the chairman of the G-7, will show his solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in ‘announce his trip to Kiev.
Kishida will also express his “absolute rejection of unilateral change of the status quo by Russia through invasion and force, and will affirm its commitment to uphold the rules-based international order,” according to the ministry’s statement.
Japan, which has territorial disputes over the islands with both China and Russia, is particularly concerned about the close relationship between Beijing and Moscow, which have held joint military exercises off Japan’s coast.
Japan, the only G7 country missing to go to Ukraine
Kishida, who will chair the G7 summit in May, was the only leader of the group who has not visited Ukraine so far, and pressures in his country began to be felt. US President Joe Biden took a similar route to visit Kiev last month, just before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Due to the limitations of Japan’s pacifist constitution, his trip was arranged in secret. Kishida is the first postwar Japanese leader to enter a war zone. Even Kishida, invited by Zelensky in January to visit Kiev, before his trip to India was questioned about a rumor of his possible trip at the end of March, he denied, saying that nothing concrete had been decided.
Japan has joined the United States and European countries in sanctioning Russia for its invasion and providing humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine.
Japan has reacted quickly because it fears the possible impact of a war in East Asia, where the Chinese military has become increasingly assertive and has escalated tensions over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
New in development
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.