Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - According to Kyodo News, which cited anonymous government sources, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - According to Kyodo News, which cited anonymous government sources, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is leaning toward attending a NATO summit of leaders in late June to stimulate coordination with the West regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Although Kishida has often chastised Russia for what he has called a "war crime" against Ukraine, the move would be extraordinarily bold for a Japanese leader.
Moscow has described the operation as a "special operation."
In the past, as the two countries wrangled over decades-old territorial claims, Japanese officials took a cautious approach to their relations with Russia.
Officials would not be able to comment on the Kyodo article until Monday, according to a government spokesperson.
The NATO summit is scheduled for June 29-30 in Madrid, Spain, and will most likely coincide with the election campaign in Japan, which is scheduled for July 10.
According to government sources published by Kyodo, Kishida will make a final decision later, taking into account the political environment before the upper house elections.
Japan has been invited to the summit, together with Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, as NATO's Asia-Pacific partners.
The attendance of Kishida at the meeting will be hailed as sending a strong message of world solidarity on the Ukraine situation, according to Kyodo's sources.
