Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left for Ukraine after a summit meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi.
I am scheduled to meet with President Zelensky today in Kiu.
It is the first time a Japanese leader has visited a warring country since World War II.
Correspondent in Tokyo. Correspondent Kim Se-ho!
[기자]
yes. It is Tokyo.
[앵커]
Prime Minister Kishida visited Ukraine instead of returning home immediately after completing his visit to India.
[기자]
yes. Prime Minister Kishida, who visited India, was originally scheduled to return to Japan this afternoon.
However, I went straight to Poland on a chartered flight.
Foreign media footage showed Prime Minister Kishida getting on a train under guard.
Japan’s NHK reported that a reporter confirmed that Prime Minister Kishida was boarding a train heading to Ukraine from the Polish border premier.
Prime Minister Kishida will hold a summit with President Zelensky after arriving in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry announced.
Prime Minister Kishida urged the international community to unite with strong sanctions against Russia, which invaded Ukraine as the chair of the G7, among the seven major countries.
It is expected that it will reveal its intention to continue supporting Ukraine.
Prime Minister Kishida has been pointed out so far as the only G7 leader who has not personally visited Kiiu, Ukraine.
In a situation where the Ukrainian situation is expected to be a major agenda at the Hiroshima G7 summit in May, it seems difficult to postpone the visit any longer amid concerns that Japan’s diplomatic position may be narrowed if it does not visit Kiiwu. .
[앵커]
Previously, Prime Minister Kishida officially announced that he would invite President Seok-Yeol Yoon to the Hiroshima G7 Summit, right?
[기자]
yes. That’s right.
Prime Minister Kishida officially announced the invitation to the G7 summit to Japanese reporters in New Delhi, India, where he visited for a summit meeting with Prime Minister Modi yesterday.
Invited countries included Korea, Brazil, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Morocco.
Let’s listen to Prime Minister Kishida’s remarks.
[기시다 후미오 / 일본 총리 : 국제사회가 직면하고 있는 여러 과제의 대응을 중심으로 의논하는 확장 외교 등을 진행하기로 했습니다. 구체적으로는 인도 이외 인도네시아, 오스트레일리아, 한국, 쿡제도, 코모로, 브라질, 베트남 각 정상을 초청하기로 했습니다.]
Japan can decide which country to invite as the chair of this year’s G7.
After the South Korean government presented a solution to forced mobilization on the 6th,
Japan has repeatedly emphasized that Korea is an important neighbor that needs to respond together to various pending issues in the international community.
Japanese media reported that Prime Minister Kishida conveyed his intention to invite President Yoon to the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May at the Korea-Japan summit on the 16th.
[앵커]
What is the background of Japan’s official participation in the G7 summit in May?
[기자]
Japan is trying to expand its diplomatic influence by leading solidarity with countries that share values in response to North Korea continuing its ballistic missile provocation, China seeking to expand its power in the Indo-Pacific region, and Russia invading Ukraine.
In particular, cooperation with South Korea is necessary to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations and the weaponization of resources by China and Russia.
It is known that Japan has continuously reviewed Korea’s invitation in consideration of these aspects.
President Yoon also expressed his desire to attend the Hiroshima G7 Summit in an interview with Japanese media.
Prime Minister Kishida’s invitation is read as a willingness to improve Korea-Japan relations as well as expand trilateral cooperation between Korea, the US and Japan.
In fact, it is also known that a Korea-US-Japan summit will be promoted on the occasion of this G7 summit.
If successful, attention is paid to whether the leaders of the three countries will come up with measures to highlight cooperation between the three countries, such as the launch of a Korea-US-Japan nuclear umbrella consultative body.
So far, we have delivered from Tokyo.
YTN Seho Kim (se-35@ytn.co.kr)
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