Japan will continue to support Ukraine: new prime minister promises to maintain sanctions against Moscow
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba confirmed that the country will maintain its support for Ukraine and continue the sanctions imposed against Russia. He stated this in his program speech in the parliament, informs Bloomberg.
“Many fear that today’s Ukraine may become tomorrow’s East Asia. Why has deterrence not worked in Ukraine? Coupled with the situation in the Middle East, the international community is becoming increasingly divided and confrontational.”, – noted Isiba.
Although the prime minister did not mention China directly, his words came amid deteriorating relations between Japan and Beijing due to China’s growing military activity around disputed territories. For Japan and its allies, including the United States, China’s claims to Taiwan are of considerable concern.
Ishiba also said that Japan will seek constructive and stable relations with China, but Tokyo will clearly defend its national interests. He emphasized that the alliance with the US will remain a key element of Japan’s regional security strategy. In addition, Japan will continue to strengthen its own defense capabilities to ensure its security.
Change of prime minister
In August, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his decision to step down, choosing not to run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s internal elections in September.
At the end of September, the Liberal Democratic Party elected Sigera Isiba as its new leader. After that, the parliament approved him as the prime minister of Japan.
Since the beginning of the war, Japan has provided financial assistance to Ukraine in the form of grants and loans in the amount of 3.6 billion dollars. In terms of the amount of aid, Ukraine received more only from the EU — 19.5 billion dollars and the United States — 15.5 billion dollars.
