
On Monday, Polish officials met with their Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, to forge closer relations with the NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine.
In Warsaw, Kamikawa laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and talked with Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. President Andrzej Duda was also on her agenda.
Interrupting her planned tour to Poland on Saturday, she made an unexpected stop in Ukraine, pledging Japan’s ongoing support for the nation as it fights back against Russia’s invasive murderous aggression. Japan pledged $37 million to the NATO trust fund to purchase drone detection equipment for Ukraine, as revealed during her visit.
To demonstrate Japan’s “enduring solidarity with Ukraine” and to commend Poland for its assistance to Ukrainian refugees, Kamikawa said she was compelled to travel to Ukraine, she told reporters during a brief press conference in Warsaw.
During the press conference, she and Sikorski emphasized that Poland and Japan are significant strategic allies to strengthen their ties further.
Among other topics discussed, the current situation in East Asia was highlighted by Kamikawa, who emphasized that the two nations are bound together by their ideals and values.
After the devastating earthquake on the Noto Peninsula—which killed at least 168 people and left dozens more missing—and the tragic crash of an enormous passenger airliner with a Japanese coast guard plane, Sikorski sent his sympathies to the minister.
While applauding the minister on the successful evacuation that resulted in the rescue of countless lives, he stated that he sent Japan his deepest sympathies over the devastating earthquake on the Noto Peninsula and the subsequent aircraft crash. In these trying times, I want you to know that we stand in solidarity with Japan,” Sikorski said.
Speaking via an interpreter, Kamikawa reiterated that shared ideas and values bind the two nations together.