Tokyo
CNN
—
Japan pledged $5.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine on Monday. This is almost four times the amount Tokyo has pledged to Kiev since Russia invaded its neighbor about a year ago.
“Japan is in a position to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and to lead global efforts to maintain a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Tokyo had previously pledged to send Kiev $600 million in financial aid and $700 million worth of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and food aid. and imposed severe sanctions.
Kishida said in a speech last summer that Russia’s aggression had given him a warning that “today’s Ukraine may be tomorrow’s East Asia,” repeating those words on Monday.
“Russia’s attack on Ukraine is not just a European problem, it is a challenge to the rules and principles of the entire international community,” he said.
He also added that Japan was facing the “most severe” security environment since World War II, citing North Korea’s expansion of its nuclear missile program and “a desire to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas.” An attempt to do so.”
Kishida did not name specifics, but sees Tokyo as increasingly at odds with Beijing over islands claimed by Japan and China in the East China Sea. Meanwhile, Kishida and other Japanese officials have previously said that peace in the Taiwan Strait is very important to Japan’s security.
Late last year, Kishida announced a significant increase in Japan’s military spending and the Japanese government’s intention to acquire long-range weapons to counter threats to Japan’s security.
Kishida announced on Monday that he would host an online summit between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and G7 leaders on Friday, marking the first anniversary of the invasion of Moscow and ahead of the annual G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.
Japanese leaders say Hiroshima is the right place for the summit because it was the site of the atomic bombing during World War II and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparks new nuclear terror. said.
“Because of Russia’s actions, the world now faces a real threat from nuclear weapons,” Kishida said. “As a starting point for all efforts toward nuclear disarmament, it is important to communicate the reality of the atomic bombings to the world, including the G7 leaders.”
