With Friday marking one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, calls have been mounting for Japan to take the lead in global support for Kyiv, including postwar reconstruction.
Amid fears that Russia could use its vast nuclear arsenal in the war, foreign affairs experts have also urged Japan, the current chair of the Group of Seven leading industrialized economies and the only nation to have been attacked with atomic bombs, to show its unwavering commitment to tackle nuclear threats when G7 leaders meet in Hiroshima in May.
So far, Japan has only offered nonmilitary assistance to Ukraine due to constitutional restrictions on the provision of weapons, while Western countries have expanded the scope of their lethal aid, including battle tanks.