Japan and Europe deepen alliance post-Ukraine

JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida finished up in the United States on Saturday (Jan 14) his week-long tour of G7 capitals, yet it was the European leg of the trip which may have been most significant.

Kishida’s visit to France, Italy and the United Kingdom last week has cemented the importance of bilateral relations with Europe after the Ukraine War, and Japan is becoming an increasingly important part of the Western alliance. Whereas some politicians in Europe and Japan may have regarded the bilateral alliance as non-essential in the past, it is now increasingly viewed as indispensable.

The growing bond between Russia and China worries both Japan and Europe. Meanwhile, the Trump presidency showed that the United States may not always be the very dependable ally it once was, especially with the possibility that Donald Trump could stand and win again in next year’s presidential election.