Kishida’s surprise Kyiv visit bolsters Japan’s image as defender of peaceful rules-based order

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Japan's PM Fumio Kishida arriving for a meeting at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv on March 21. - AFP

TOKYO (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping stood on opposite fences of the Ukraine-Russia war on Tuesday (March 21), their concurrent visits to rival capitals in the name of promoting peace underscoring global chasms.

Kishida met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv for nearly three hours, just as Mr Xi sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Both were on their first visits since Feb 24, 2022, the day explosions rang out across Ukraine.