Fumio Kishida would attend the meeting in Madrid at the end of June as a “partner country”. Its objective is to strengthen the link with the US and European countries
Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, is contemplating the possibility of attending the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of this month in what would be the first participation of a Japanese head of government in a meeting of the alliance Western.
Japanese government sources explained this Saturday to the official Japanese news agency, Kyodo News, that the visit ofKishida to Madrid on June 29 and 30 will depend above all on the internal political situation in his country, pending elections to the Chamber of Councilors (the upper house of the Japanese Parliament) that will probably be held on June 10. July.
In fact, there are conflicting opinions both in the government and in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Kishida’s participation, since the timetable for the NATO summit collides with the start, scheduled for June 22, of the official campaign for the elections.
If he attends, the Japanese government sources hope that Kishida’s participation in the NATO summit will strengthen coordination with the United States and European countries to respond to Russia’s war in Ukraine and possible contingencies over the Taiwan Strait.
FILE PHOTO: The secretary general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Kishida plans to travel to the Spanish capital after attending a three-day summit of the Group of Seven industrialized countries from June 26 in Germany, according to the sources.
Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have also been invited to attend the NATO summit as partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
South Korea sounded out Japan about the possibility of a first in-person meeting between Kishida and President Yoon Suk Yeolon the sidelines of the summit, the sources said, as thetwo countries have been trying to improve their strained relationships due to disagreements over war issues.
Kishida and Yoon had phone conversations in March after Yoon won the presidential election and agreed to meet directly at a later date.
US President Joe Biden with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Zhang Xiaoyu/Pool via REUTERS)
The assistance of Japan and other non-NATO countries would send a strong message solidarity to the international community for the Ukraine crisis.
Kishida has strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, denouncing it as an attempt because the use of force changes the status quo in violation of international law.
Japan has coordinated with other members of the G-7 (Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States plus the European Union) to impose sanctions on Russia to force it to cease its aggression.
Kishida also called for prevent a similar crisis from occurring in the Indo-Pacific region, where China’s assertive moves have increased tensions.
With information from EuropaPress< /p>
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