This combination of file pictures created on March 21, 2023 shows Japan鈥檚 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) speaking during a press conference at his official residence in Tokyo on March 17, 2023, and Ukraine鈥檚 President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking during a press conference following a round-table meeting as part of an EU summit in Brussels on February 9, 2023. AFP
TOKYO 鈥� Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday to offer 鈥渟olidarity and unwavering support,鈥� Japan鈥檚 foreign ministry said.
Kishida is the last G7 leader to visit the war-torn country and has come under increasing pressure to make the trip, as Japan hosts the grouping鈥檚 summit this May.
He has repeatedly said a visit to Kyiv was 鈥渦nder consideration,鈥� though security and logistical challenges were reportedly a major obstacle.
Kishida was in India on Monday and had been expected to return to Tokyo, but instead flew to Poland, where he reportedly boarded a train to cross into Ukraine.
He will express 鈥渞espect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people鈥� and offer 鈥渢he solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine of Japan and the G7, chaired by Japan,鈥� the foreign ministry said.
Kishida is expected to return to Poland for summit talks on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, before arriving back in Tokyo on Thursday.
黑料社 of the trip was first reported by Japanese media, including national broadcaster NHK, whose reporters in Poland filmed a car carrying the premier in the town of Przemysl, from where foreign leaders have often taken the train into Ukraine.
Kishida became the only G7 leader not to have visited Kyiv after US President Joe Biden made a surprise stop to meet Zelensky in February.
But Japanese officials were reportedly worried about the security risks of a trip for Kishida, who becomes the first Japanese prime minister to visit an active warzone since World War II.
His trip comes with Chinese President Xi Jinping 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 offering support to Kyiv.
It has also taken the rare steps of sending defensive equipment and offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict.
It has not offered military support, however, because the nation鈥檚 post-war constitution limits its military capacity to ostensibly defensive measures.
Kishida warned in a speech last year that 鈥淯kraine today may be East Asia tomorrow鈥�, as concerns grow that China could invade democratic, self-ruled Taiwan.
And in December, as Japan overhauled its key defense policies, the government explicitly warned that China poses the 鈥済reatest strategic challenge ever鈥� to its security.
In its largest defense shake-up in decades, Japan set a goal of doubling defense spending to the NATO standard of two percent of GDP by 2027.
Japan is this year鈥檚 host of the Group of Seven nations, which have taken a united approach in sanctioning Russia.
The countries will meet for a summit in Hiroshima in May, which Kishida is reportedly considering inviting Zelensky to attend.
Kishida has been on a diplomatic blitz in recent days, hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Tokyo before heading to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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