Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: SUZUKI Muneo, a member of the House of Councillors who has had close ties with Russia, has called for an immediate halt to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, warning that Ukraine “alone cannot fight against Russia because it does not have sufficient military capabilities.”

Suzuki’s statement was published on his blog and follows the visit of the leaders of Germany, France and Italy to Ukraine last Thursday to meet with Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky.

“President Zelensky has been asking for more weapons, but I think he should adopt policies to protect his people,” Suzuki stated. “Why don’t European leaders broker an immediate ceasefire? Russia and Ukraine continue to fight and cause more casualties.”

Suzuki noted how people around the world are suffering from the repercussions of this war, especially the high prices of basic commodities such as food, energy and fertilizers. He said that a ceasefire is necessary to achieve peace and security around the world.

With a G7 summit meeting taking place in Germany on June 26, Suzuki expressed hope that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will take the lead towards an immediate ceasefire. “The whole world must make efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine,” he said.

Muneo, as he likes to be called, likened the protracted conflict to Japan’s situation in World War II, suggesting that if Japan had stopped the war half a year before its surrender, Tokyo would not have been bombed, the Battle of Okinawa could have been prevented and Hiroshima and Nagasaki would not have been bombed with atomic weapons.

The Japanese politician said that the gap between Russian and Ukrainian military power is big and that is why President Zelensky must take the courageous decision to stop the war. He wrote, “If you are not able to fight the war on your own, you must save the lives of your people. A ceasefire is the top priority right now.”

Suzuki, who originates from the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, had previously criticized the Japanese government’s stance on imposing severe sanctions on Russia. “Moscow has suspended negotiations on the dispute over the northern islands, after we had achieved progress in previous years,” he said.

The families of the Japanese who used to live on the islands (before Russia seized them at the end of World War II) are no longer able to visit the graves of their relatives and fishermen are no longer able to fish in the waters adjacent to the islands. The government in Tokyo must consider Japan’s national interests, Suzuki said.

Suzuki Muneo is a popular veteran politician in Hokkaido, and his daughter holds the position of State Minister for Foreign Affairs.