TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting leaders from the European Union on Thursday affirmed cooperation over sanctions against Russia, which is continuing its military aggression against Ukraine.

At a meeting held at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Kishida and the EU leaders–European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen–also agreed on the importance of realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, apparently keeping in mind China, which is stepping up hegemonic activities.

At a press conference after the meeting, Kishida said, “Japan will work with other Group of Seven members, including the EU, to implement powerful sanctions against Russia and bolster support for Ukraine.”

This was the 28th regular meeting between Japanese and EU leaders. Thursday’s session marked the first in-person Japan-EU summit. Last year’s summit was held online.

In the latest talks, the Japanese and EU leaders exchanged views on reducing energy dependence on Russia. On May 4, the EU announced a draft plan to ban oil imports from Russia by the end of this year as additional sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Kishida at an online G-7 summit on Monday announced that Japan will ban Russian oil imports in principle.

The EU has been shifting more of its focus to Asia. Last September, it announced an Indo-Pacific strategy for the first time, bearing China in mind.

Kishida stressed at Thursday’s meeting that security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is inseparable, and that changing the status quo by force must never be tolerated anywhere in the world.

“Our cooperation on Ukraine is critical in Europe, but it’s also important in the Indo-Pacific,” Michel told the press conference, adding, “And we also want to deepen our consultations on a more assertive China.”

The Japanese and EU sides also agreed to launch a digital partnership.

Kishida is believed to have urged the EU side to abolish its import restrictions on Japanese food products, including those from Fukushima Prefecture.

The restrictions were introduced in response to the March 2011 triple reactor meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s tsunami-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in the northeastern Japan prefecture.

JIJI Press