Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks before media members at his official residence in Tokyo on Dec 10, 2022, after an extraordinary Diet session. (YOSHIKAZU TSUNO / AP)
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been invited to visit Ukraine, the government's top spokesperson said on Friday.
The invitation was given by the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Andriy Yermak to Japan's ambassador to Ukraine on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular news conference.
"Japan stands with the citizens of Ukraine … and takes appropriate steps as this year's G7 chair," Matsuno said, referring to the Group of Seven nations.
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Next week, Kishida is set to visit G7 member countries including France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, a key diplomatic tour before Japan hosts the annual G7 summit in May in Hiroshima.