Russia’s invasion violates world’s peace: Kishida

Bloomberg

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to attend a Nato summit later this month, showing support for its efforts during Russia’s war in Ukraine by becoming the first Japanese premier to take part in such a meeting of the military alliance.
“Russia’s invasion violates the peace and order of the world and can never be tolerated,” Kishida said as he announced the decision to join the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He made the comment at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday to mark the end of the current parliamentary session.
Japan has played a key role in supporting the US-led campaign to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion, and Kishida said his attendance would help underscore that there’s a high price to pay for breaking international rules.
The end of the parliament session paves the way for an upper house election on July 10. Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito were expected to easily hold their majority in the body, where half of the 248 seats are up for a vote.
A victory in elections for the less powerful house would give the premier as long as three years without the need to face another test at the polls.
The yen’s plunge to a two-decade low was unlikely to seriously harm Kishida’s prospects in the election, due to a splintered opposition mired in single-digit support rates. Surveys show wide public support for the premier’s tough stance against Russia and backing of the government’s Covid-19 policies, with Japan having one of the lowest death rates among advanced economies.
Kishida said he would take steps to keep down prices on key foodstuffs such as wheat and meat, blaming consumer price rises on increases in food and energy costs. He also said he would establish a government headquarters to tackle high prices and for raising wages for workers. “The current rise in prices is having a great impact on the lives of people and the activities of businesses,” Kishida said at the news conference, adding the government must take the situation seriously and implement appropriate measures.
The yen set a fresh 24-year low of 135.59 against the dollar earlier Wednesday amid a wave of renewed weakness following stronger-than-expected US inflation figures at the end of last week. The latest yen slide will further deepen concern among households and businesses already hit by a surge in energy and commodity prices in the heavily import-dependent nation.