TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, March 21 to offer solidarity and unwavering support for Japan's foreign ministry.
Kishida is the last G 7 leader to visit the war-torn country and has come under increasing pressure to make the trip, as Japan hosts the grouping's summit this May.
Security and logistical challenges were reportedly a major obstacle, but he has stated that a visit to Kyiv was under consideration.
Kishida was in India on Monday and had been expected to return to Tokyo, but instead flew to Poland, where he boarded a train to cross into Ukraine.
The foreign ministry said he will express respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people and will give a strong and unwavering support for Ukraine of Japan and the G 7, chaired by Japan.
Kishida is expected to return to Poland on Wednesday for summit talks before arriving in Tokyo on Thursday.
The news of the trip was first reported by Japanese media, including national broadcaster NHK, whose reporters in Poland filmed a car carrying the prime minister in the town of Przemysl, from where foreign leaders have often taken the train into Ukraine.
Kishida became the only G 7 leader not to have visited Kyiv after US President Joe Biden stopped to meet Zelenskyy in February.
Japan's officials were concerned about the security risks of a trip for Kishida, who became the first Japanese prime minister to visit an active warzone since World War II.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Moscow for talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, with the Ukraine conflict high on the agenda.
Japan has joined western allies in sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while providing support to Kyiv.
It has taken the rare steps of sending defensive equipment and offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict.
The nation's post-war constitution limits its military capacity to ostensibly defensive measures, so it hasn't offered military support.
Kishida warned last year that Ukraine may be East Asia tomorrow as concerns grow that China could invade democratic, self-ruled Taiwan.
In December, as Japan overhauled its defence policies, the government explicitly warned that China poses the greatest strategic challenge to its security.
Japan set a goal of doubling defence spending to the NATO standard of two percent of GDP by 2027 in its largest defence shake-up in decades.
Japan is the host of the Group of Seven nations this year, which have taken a united approach to sanctioning Russia.
Kishida is reportedly considering inviting Zelenskyy to attend a summit in Hiroshima in May.
Kishida has been on a diplomatic blitz in recent days and will host South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Tokyo before going to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.