Japan PM plans to attend Nato summit in first for country’s leader
- Fumio Kishida’s attendance at the event would make him the first Japanese leader to take part in a gathering of the Western alliance
- Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have also been invited to attend next month’s Nato summit in Madrid, amid Russia’s war in Ukraine
Kishida’s attendance at the June 29-30 event in Madrid is dependent on domestic politics leading up to an election for the upper house of Japan’s parliament likely to be held on July 10, the source said.
It is hoped that Kishida’s participation in the Nato summit would strengthen coordination with the United States and European countries in responding to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Kishida plans to travel to the Spanish capital after attending a three-day summit of the Group of Seven industrialised nations from June 26 in Germany, according to the source.
Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have also been invited to attend the Nato summit as partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Attendance by Japan and the other non-Nato countries would give out a strong message of solidarity to the international community over the Ukraine crisis, observers say.
There are, however, mixed views within Japan’s government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over Kishida’s participation, as the Nato summit’s schedule clashes with the expected kick-off on June 22 of official campaigning for the upper house election.
Some government officials think the his summit diplomacy with Western and Indo-Pacific leaders helps boost public support for his ruling coalition.
But other LDP lawmakers suggest Kishida, whose support rates are already relatively high, should focus on campaigning in as many electoral districts as possible before the election.
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As of May 22, his cabinet’s approval rating stood at 61.5 per cent, the highest level since he took office in October last year, according to a Kyodo News survey.
Kishida has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, seeing it as the use of force to change the status quo in violation of international law.
Japan has coordinated with other G7 members – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States plus the European Union – in imposing sanctions on Russia to compel it to cease its aggression.
Kishida has also called for preventing a similar crisis from occurring in the Indo-Pacific, where China’s assertive moves have heightened regional tensions.
In April, Japan’s Yoshimasa Hayashi joined a foreign ministerial meeting of Nato member states and partner countries in Belgium, making him the first Japanese foreign minister to attend a Nato session.
