Agency Report
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later Tuesday, a government source said, as Tokyo expressed “grave concern” about the risk of a Russian invasion.
Tokyo was preparing for the call on Tuesday evening local time, as diplomatic efforts for a peaceful resolution step up after an apparent opening from Russia, and with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz due in Moscow later in the day.
Kishida said Tuesday that Japan was “watching the situation with grave concern.”
“We’ll continue to monitor the situation with high vigilance, while coordinating closely with G7 countries to deal with any developments appropriately,” he said at a meeting between government ministers and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
On Monday, a statement by finance ministers from the G7 group of most developed nations warned that Russia faced tough sanctions if it proceeded with military action against Ukraine.
The allies stood ready to “collectively impose economic and financial sanctions which will have massive and immediate consequences on the Russian economy”, the statement said.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday stressed Tokyo’s support for “the integrity of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territory”, but declined to give details on what form any sanctions might take.
