Russian invasion of Ukraine ‘turning point’ in history: Japanese premier

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said Russia's invasion of Ukraine “has become a turning point in history.”

It has “shaken the international order to its core,” Kishida told Canadian daily The Globe and Mail in a statement published on Thursday.

The Japanese premier is on a tour to Canada, Italy, France, the UK, and US to meet leaders of the most industrialized nations before the G-7 summit in May in Hiroshima, Kishida’s native province.

“My goal is to show the world the strong will of the G7 members in a long-lasting and powerful way. Together we will resolutely reject attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force and the threat, not to mention use, of nuclear weapons,” he said.

“I want to make it an opportunity to firmly confirm G7 co-ordination on a free and open Indo-Pacific since the G7 Hiroshima summit is being held in Asia,” said the chief executive of Japan, which has joined the US-led Quad, a loose security alliance that also includes Australia and India, to counter China’s expanding economic and military influence in the wider Asia-Pacific region.

The Hiroshima summit “would maintain the G7’s commitment to helping Ukraine in its drive to repel Russian forces,” the visiting Japanese premier added.

Moscow launched a war on Ukraine last February, driving millions of people out of the country and resulting in deaths and injuries to thousands more.

Kishida is set to meet his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on Thursday.

The Japanese side is expected to raise “global security challenges, from the war in Ukraine to China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific,” in addition to bilateral trade and energy issues with the Canadian side during the talks in the capital Ottawa.

Kishida will conclude his tour in Washington on Friday after meeting with US President Joe Biden.​​​​​​​