Ukraine war: Japan imposed Russia sanctions as it needs help if China invades Tokyo, Taro Kono says

The ex-foreign minister defended the government’s sanctions against Moscow, saying Tokyo needs allies if it is attacked by Beijing

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he plans to revoke Russia’s most-favoured nation trade status even as Japan faces potential energy supply crisis

Reading Time:2 minutes

Former Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono. Photo: AP

Published: 12:22pm, 17 Mar 2022Updated: 1:08pm, 17 Mar 2022

Japan’s sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are necessary, even if they squeeze energy supplies, because Tokyo one day could need allies to counter China in East Asia, former foreign minister Taro Kono said.

“We need to tell the people in Japan that in order to protect ourselves we need to help others too,” Kono said. “If there is any aggression anywhere on this planet, we need to stop them,” he added.

Japan counts neighbouring China as its top national security threat, followed by North Korea and Russia. Some officials in Tokyo, including Kono, worry Moscow’s attack on Ukraine could embolden Beijing to act against Taiwan too.

Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province, lies only around 100km from the nearest Japanese island. It’s capture by Beijing would also put Chinese forces within close to maritime trade routes that sustain Tokyo’s economy.

China’s “spending on forces is four times more than our national defence budget. Japan alone couldn’t fight against the Chinese forces if they invade Japan,” said Kono, who last year ran against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.