The head of Japanese diplomacy, Yoko Kamikawa, arrived in Ukraine on Sunday to meet with her colleague Dmytro Kuleba and to assure him of Tokyo’s continued support, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan reported, writes AFP.

According to the New York Times, the visit came at a time when White House and Pentagon officials warned that the US would soon be unable to supply enough interceptor missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot air defense systems.

In December, Japan said it would prepare to ship Patriot air defense missiles to the United States after revising its arms export guidelines, Tokyo’s first major review of such export restrictions in nine years.

Although Japan’s new export controls still prevent it from sending weapons to countries at war, the shipment could indirectly benefit Ukraine in its war with Russia, while giving the United States additional leverage to provide military aid to Kiev, Reuters reported.

The visit was not announced

The visit was not initially announced in the official schedule of Kamikawa’s two-week tour, which began on Friday and includes visits to Poland, Finland, Sweden, Holland, the United States, Canada, Germany and Turkey, News.ro said.

She was supposed to arrive in Ukraine on Sunday from Warsaw, according to the message of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A representative of the ministry confirmed to AFP that she “arrived somewhere in Ukraine” on Sunday.

During the visit, Kamikawa “will once again confirm to the Ukrainian side that Japan’s consistent policy of supporting Ukraine remains unchanged, even in the current serious international situation,” the message reads.

He will also inform the Ukrainian side about the details of the aid projects that Japan is offering to Kyiv, the document says.

Reconstruction of Ukraine was discussed in Tokyo

In February, a conference on promoting the economic reconstruction of Ukraine will be held in Tokyo, Japan, in which the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Chmyhal intends to participate.

Kamikawa will consult with the Ukrainian side on the detailed schedule of the conference and will take part in the “ceremony of handing over electrical equipment for winter assistance,” the report said.

During his visit, Kamikawa “will demonstrate Japan’s determination to defend the international order based on the rule of law, based on the principle that unilateral changes to the status quo by force, such as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, cannot be accepted,” the statement said. this is also shown in the document.

Tokyo strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since the beginning of 2022 and participates in international sanctions against Moscow.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida regularly stresses the importance of a rules-based international order as Tokyo worries about its own territorial disputes with its neighbors, including China.

At the May summit in Hiroshima, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, G7 leaders agreed to “deprive Russia of G7 technologies, industrial equipment and services that support its military machine.”

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