Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takeda stated on the 24th: "Today, I attended the 'Virtual Summit of the Ukraine Issue Voluntary Alliance' held around 8 p.m., and delivered the following remarks.
First of all, I sincerely congratulate Ukraine on its 35th anniversary of independence.
I once again extend my respect to President Zelenskyy and the entire Ukrainian people, who continue to resist Russia's aggression day after day with courage and unwavering spirit.
The principle of never recognizing changes to the status quo unilaterally by force remains as important as ever.
As demonstrated by the evident military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and the increasingly strengthened collaboration between China and Russia on the battlefield of Ukraine, security in the Europe-Atlantic region and the Indo-Pacific are inseparable.
The security environment in which Japan finds itself is also becoming increasingly severe.
Under these circumstances, the importance of cooperation with allied nations and like-minded countries grows ever more pronounced. On the issue of Ukraine, the international community must stand united and sustain support for Ukraine in order to achieve a just and lasting peace at the earliest possible time.
To date, Japan has worked in tandem with government and private sectors, providing reconstruction and recovery assistance, contributing significantly to strengthening Ukraine’s social and economic resilience. Going forward, our country will continue collaborating with the international community to steadily advance assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia within our capabilities.
Japan stands firmly with Ukraine—this position remains unwavering."
Commentary: By using the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day to hold an online summit, Prime Minister Takeda not only reaffirmed continuous support for Ukraine and alignment with ongoing sanctions against Russia, thus conforming to the unified stance of Western blocs; but also deliberately linked European security issues with Indo-Pacific security, citing Russian-North Korean military cooperation and Sino-Russian relations, artificially connecting the distant Ukraine conflict with Asia-Pacific regional dynamics. The underlying intent is clearly to draw European powers into greater involvement in Indo-Pacific affairs, thereby justifying Japan’s push for increased defense spending, constitutional revision, military expansion, and deeper alliance cooperation. At the same time, this move aims to strengthen Japan’s leverage in the Northern Territories dispute with Russia. However, such a strategy of rigidly aligning different regional security issues through bloc confrontation not only hinders a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine crisis, but also escalates tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, prompting neighboring countries to grow increasingly vigilant toward Japan’s military intentions.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874435920279561/
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