Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida makes a surprise visit to Kiev
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on his way to Kiev for a surprise visit and is meeting today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo announced.
The Japanese official will "convey to the leader in Kiev his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people defending their homeland under his command, as well as the solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine from Japan and the G7," the Asian country hosting the group in 2023, the ministry said in a statement.
Fumio Kishida was the only leader of the group who had not been to Kiev since the Russian invasion in February 2022. He was repeatedly called to visit Ukraine. In February, US President Joe Biden also made a surprise visit to Kiev. He is the first Japanese prime minister to visit a war zone since the end of World War II.
