Japanese PM Kishida arrives in Kyiv, set to meet President Zelensky

Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova (second left) welcoming Japan's PM Fumio Kishida (second right) to Kyiv on March 21, 2023. PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, becoming the final leader from a Group of Seven (G-7) nation to visit the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion about a year ago.

He is also the first Japanese prime minister to visit an active war zone since World War II.

Broadcaster NHK earlier showed footage of him boarding a train at the Polish border town of Przemysl.

Mr Kishida intends to show his support for Ukraine during the visit, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He had been on a trip to India, where he condemned Russia’s invasion in a policy speech and sought to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi closer to the G-7 nations’ position on the war.

The Japanese premier’s visit is the most visible symbol yet of support from Tokyo for Mr Zelensky, who has spoken to Mr Kishida at online conferences and addressed Japan’s Parliament through a video link in March 2022.

Japanese leaders rarely travel to places where there is a pressing security risk. 

Mr Kishida will also hold talks with his Polish counterpart before returning to Japan on Thursday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. 

The trip comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, following Beijing’s proposal for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. The trip marks Mr Xi’s most ambitious attempt yet to play the role of peacemaker as he seeks to broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

Kyiv has been cool to Beijing’s plan, while the United States and its allies have rejected it outright. After his talks in Moscow, Mr Xi is expected to speak by video link with Mr Zelensky, his first conversation with the Ukrainian leader since the start of the war.

Mr Kishida’s government threw its support behind Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, imposing sanctions and sending military equipment – albeit non-lethal – in a break with traditions it has maintained under its pacifist Constitution.

Surveys show Mr Kishida has the backing of much of the public on the issue. A poll by the Nikkei newspaper carried out from Feb 7 to Feb 10 found that 66 per cent of respondents said the government should continue supporting Ukraine, even if it has an adverse effect on their own lives. 

US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv in late February and met Mr Zelensky, declaring “unwavering support” in a dramatic show of solidarity as Russia’s invasion neared the one-year mark.

Japan is set to host a summit of G-7 leaders this May in Hiroshima. Mr Kishida, who has faced pressure to go to Ukraine before the summit, has said he wants to use the event to show unity on applying sanctions against Russia. 

In February, Tokyo announced it would offer Ukraine financial aid worth US$5.5 billion (S$7.4 billion), having already provided the country with hundreds of billions of dollars of emergency humanitarian assistance and other support.  

It has also taken the rare step of offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict. 

Mr Kishida warned in a 2022 speech that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow”, as concerns grow that China could invade democratic and self-ruled Taiwan.

In December, as Japan overhauled its key defence policies, the government explicitly warned that China poses the “greatest strategic challenge ever” to its security. 

In its largest defence shake-up in decades, Japan set a goal of doubling defence spending to the Nato military alliance’s standard of 2 per cent of gross domestic product by 2027. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS

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