Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will make an unannounced visit to Ukraine on March 21, where he will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. This will be the first visit by a Japanese head of government to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Nippon News Network , The Sankei News and Daily Tohoku write about this , citing Japanese officials.
The media called it “highly unusual” for a Japanese prime minister to visit a foreign country without prior notice. This was probably done for security reasons.
Fumio Kishida received an invitation to visit Ukraine during a telephone conversation with Zelensky in January. But then there were security and scheduling issues, Japanese officials said.
According to media reports, Kishida will arrive in Kyiv by land, avoiding the airspace over Ukraine. The schedule of the visit was not released to the press due to security concerns.
At the meeting with Zelensky, Kishida is expected to convey Japan’s intention to continue efforts and demonstrate the G7’s determination to firmly uphold the international order. As a representative of the country chairing the G7, Kishida will declare further solidarity and support for Ukraine.
Note that the Japanese Prime Minister plans to hold a G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, presiding over the G7. However, he is the only leader among the G7 countries who did not visit Kyiv.
Help from Japan
The Japanese government has provided Ukraine with assistance in the energy sector, including power generators, and mine clearance. In January, the country allocated $95 million for the reconstruction of Ukraine through the United Nations Development Program.
Earlier, in April 2022, Japan had already allocated $4.5 million for emergency clearance of Ukraine from explosive ordnance and clearing rubble.
Also in May, Japan and Ukraine signed a $100 million loan agreement . And in November, this country allocated $14 million for the export of Ukrainian wheat to Somalia.
Source : Hromadske
