Any change by force is ‘unacceptable’: Japan on Ukraine crisis

ISTANBUL

Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday expressed “grave concern” over the situation around Ukraine and said any change by means of force is “unacceptable.”

Without directly pointing to military deployment by Russia, the lower house of Japanese parliament passed a resolution saying the country is “gravely concerned and always with the Ukraine people who hope for the stability of their country and the region.”

The situation “remains tense, destabilized” due to developments outside Ukraine, the Japanese lawmakers said, urging their government to “utilize all diplomatic resources to do the utmost to reduce tensions in Ukraine and bring peace as soon as possible.”

Tensions in Ukraine have been increasing for months after Russia amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s border, which the West says is preparation for war. Both NATO and the EU have warned of severe consequences if Moscow invades its neighbor.

Russia has repeatedly denied that it plans to attack Ukraine, insisting that its troops are there only for exercises.

The Japanese parliament, which emphasized diplomatic solutions to the crisis, said: “Any change in the status quo by force is unacceptable.”

It added: “Japan’s position is that it has consistently supported Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Last month, Sergiy Korsunsky, Kyiv’s envoy to Tokyo, said Japan “is uneasy about the situation in Ukraine and could get more involved in multinational efforts to ease growing military tensions with Russia.”

However, Korsunsky’s Russian counterpart Mikhail Galuzin at a news conference afterwards warned any action by Japan against Moscow “would be counterproductive.”

After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Tokyo had imposed sanctions on Moscow.