Japan to consider role in security guarantees provided to Ukraine: PM Ishiba
Japan's Constitution only permits the use of force for its own self-defence, putting restrictions on what the country can do overseas.
TOKYO - Japan will consider what role it will play in providing security guarantees to Ukraine by assessing its legal and capability constraints, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Aug 19, as US-led talks to end Russia's war on its neighbor continue.
Mr Ishiba made the remark after Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte told a US television network that Japan is among some 30 nations that have been collaborating on ways to potentially provide security guarantees to Ukraine to deter any future Russian aggression.
'We will play our role appropriately by considering what we can and should do within our legal framework and capabilities,' Mr Ishiba told reporters at his office.
'At this point, we cannot say specifically what we are going to do.'
Japan's war-renouncing Constitution only permits the use of force for its own self-defence, putting restrictions on what the country can do overseas. Its Self-Defence Forces have engaged in peacekeeping and anti-piracy missions abroad.
Mr Ishiba praised US President Donald Trump's efforts to bring peace to Ukraine by holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as European leaders who threw support behind him on Aug 18.
Mr Trump wants to have a three-way meeting with Mr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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'What is important is to achieve an early ceasefire and a just peace,' Mr Ishiba said, underscoring the need to stop innocent Ukrainian and Russian people from falling victim to the war.
Later on Aug 19, Mr Ishiba joined an online multinational meeting on the Ukraine war hosted by Britain, France and Germany, the Japanese government said. KYODO NEWS
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