Japanese prime minister makes unannounced trip to Ukraine

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and to visit a mass grave in the town of Bucha. He is the last Group of Seven leader to visit Ukraine since Russian forces invaded last year. His trip coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Moscow. Kishida faced pressure in Japan, and internationally as chairman of the G-7, to make the trip. But the visit was planned secretly due to limitations in Japan’s pacifist constitution. He is the first Japanese leader to enter a war zone since the end of World War II.

What will be discussed? Kishida is expected to offer continuing support for Ukraine, but he will not promise military backing. Japan has supplied Kyiv with non-combative equipment, supplies, and $7 billion in financial aid, but the country does not export weapons to countries involved in international conflicts.

Dig deeper: Read William Inboden’s column in WORLD Opinions about why America should welcome Japan’s new military expansion.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.