Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit overnight on Nov. 16 in a show of Tokyo’s support for the besieged country.
Iwaya will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in the daytime ahead of a possible meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Japan’s foreign ministry told Kyodo news.
The meeting marks the first trip by a Japanese minister since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba took office last month, and the first to Ukraine by Iwaya who was first appointed to the post in September.
The visit to Kyiv likely comes in response to the presence of North Korean troops situated along Ukraine’s eastern front, as well as future uncertainty surrounding ongoing military support from the United States following the election of President-elect Donald Trump.
The visit also comes ahead of the start of an expectedly grueling winter that will test Ukrainians’ resolve as Russian continues to target energy infrastructure across the country.
In a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the U.S. on Sept. 23, Zelensky discussed Japan’s ongoing support for Ukraine, with particular focus on Ukraine’s energy sector.
Last month, Japan alongside the U.S. and South Korea also launched a new multinational group to monitor the implementation of sanctions against North Korea, Reuters reported on Oct. 16.
Japan has played a key role in providing support to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine’s finance ministry said on Nov. 15 that Japan has provided a total of $6.3 billion in external budget financing for the embattled nation.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
