Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida made an unexpected trip to Ukraine yesterday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. For this purpose, he secretly flew out of India and arrived in Kyiv via Warsaw. He used an armored plane instead of a standard government plane. This visit was also an emergency, as Kishida had to return to Tokyo from India.
It should be noted that the arrival of the Japanese prime minister in Ukraine took place against the background of the meeting of Chinese leader Xi Jinping with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Kisida also became the last leader of the Big Seven who has not yet visited Kyiv.
"Outraged by cruelty"
The head of the Japanese government arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon and immediately went to Buchi, a city that has become a symbol of atrocities and crimes committed by the Russian military.
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Japarova said that our country is "glad to welcome" the Japanese Prime Minister.
"This historic visit is a sign of solidarity and close cooperation between Ukraine and Japan," she wrote and was the first to publish a photo of Kishida in Kyiv.
"We are grateful to Japan for its strong support and contribution to our future victory," Japarova added.
In Buchi, the Prime Minister of Japan laid flowers near the local church where civilians killed by the Russians were buried.
"I am outraged by this cruelty. I am representing Japanese citizens to express my condolences to those who lost their lives," Kishida said.
He also assured that Japan will continue to make every effort to support Ukraine in restoring peace.
What does this visit mean?
Kishida's trip is the first visit by a Japanese prime minister to a country or region where hostilities continue since World War II. It is also the first visit to Ukraine by an Asian member of the G7 group and the first visit by a US ally to the region.
According to Japanese media reports, the dual trips by Kishida to Kyiv and Xi to Moscow highlight deep divisions in Northeast Asia over the war in Ukraine, as Japan promises substantial aid to Kyiv while China remains the only voice backing an increasingly isolated Putin, and now even more of a "global exile and war crimes suspect."
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emmanuel said that Kishida's trip to Ukraine testifies to "two very different European-Pacific partnerships."
"Prime Minister Kisida is making a historic visit to Ukraine to protect the Ukrainian people and promote universal values enshrined in the UN Charter. About 900 km from Ukraine in Moscow, another and despicable partnership is being formed," Emanuel wrote on Twitter.
Such a visit is also indicative, as the topic of Russia's war against Ukraine will be discussed at the GXNUMX summit, which will be held in Hiroshima in May.
TV channel CNN, recalls that in the face of China's growing assertiveness and global presence, Japan and the United States have become very close in recent years, especially on regional security and intelligence cooperation. Japan is also a member of the Quad, an informal security group that includes India, Australia and the United States.
Conversation with Zelenskyi
In a statement released on Tuesday, Japan's foreign ministry said Kishida's visit to Kyiv was at the invitation of Ukraine's president and that the prime minister would return to Japan on Thursday.
During the talks, he will "directly convey our solidarity and unwavering support to Ukraine" and "resolutely reject Russia's aggression against Ukraine," the statement said.
Previously, the Japanese head of government strongly opposed the military invasion of the Russian Federation, warning last year that "Ukraine today can become East Asia tomorrow."
Last month, on the eve of the anniversary of the invasion, Japan pledged $5,5 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, four times Tokyo's previous contributions.
"Russia's aggression against Ukraine is not only a European matter, but also a challenge to the rules and principles of the entire international community," Kisida said then.
And during his visit to New Delhi on Monday, Kissida, according to Reuters, announced a new plan to invest $75 billion in the Indo-Pacific region, widely seen as an effort to deepen ties with countries in South and Southeast Asia and resist China's influence.
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