- By Shaimaa Khalil and Gareth Evans
- in Tokyo and London
1 hour ago
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Fumio Kishida visits a mass grave in Bucha near Kiev
If you ever needed a demonstration of how the war in Ukraine is reverberating in Asia, the Japanese and Chinese leadership’s timetable provides an excellent example.
Both are on strategic foreign visits to opposing sides of the conflict.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is in Kiev, where he pledges unwavering support to the Ukrainian president and discusses reconstruction and humanitarian aid.
China’s Xi Jinping, meanwhile, is in Moscow and has been described by Russia’s Vladimir Putin as a friend and partner. China may insist it’s neutral, but it looks more like Moscow than an honest broker at the moment.
On Tuesday, Mr Xi said China will prioritize its ties with Russia, describing the two countries as “great neighboring powers”.
Given the events in Moscow, the visuals and timing of Mr. Kishida’s parallel journey is remarkable. So what can we read into it?
It is rare for a Japanese leader to travel abroad unannounced, and Mr. Kishida is the first to visit a conflict-affected country since World War II.
The visit was kept secret until shortly before his arrival early Tuesday, with officials citing security concerns.
During his visit, he will “show respect for the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people standing up to defend their homeland… and show solidarity and unwavering support,” Japan’s foreign ministry said.
Mr. Kishida will also show his “absolute rejection of Russia’s unilateral alteration of the status quo through invasion and violence,” the statement added.
Mr Kishida has come under increasing pressure from his own ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to visit Ukraine.
To date, he has been the only G7 leader not to visit since the invasion of Russia began last year, and there have been calls to visit him before he chairs a G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.
He had already pulled off a strategic diplomatic coup by holding a summit with the South Korean president in Tokyo last week – the first time in more than a decade. Normalizing ties with Seoul, sharing information and showing a united front against North Korea will reassure Japan’s strategic ally, the US.
The visit to Ukraine will no doubt also be welcomed by Washington.
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Watch: Putin and Xi’s ‘Dear Friendship’… in 62 seconds
Part of the Chinese leader’s ongoing visit to Moscow is an attempt to build the country’s global clout. The presence of the Japanese leader in Ukraine also sends a strong message about where they stand in this geopolitical turmoil.
This is not an easy undertaking, Japan has a lot to do, especially in relation to China.
Last month, both countries held security talks here in Tokyo for the first time in four years. Beijing said it was concerned about Japan’s military buildup, and Tokyo criticized China’s military ties with Russia and the alleged use of spy balloons.
These are the second and third largest economies in the world and despite their current tensions, an open channel of communication is key.
Japan also has its own concerns about the war in Ukraine. There is great concern about possible parallels between the Russian invasion and a worst-case scenario of Chinese military aggression against Taiwan – which Japan would no doubt draw in.
We’re not there yet and we may never be, but it’s quite revealing of where each leader wanted to be on Tuesday.