TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday the prospect of Russia using nuclear weapons was “increasingly real,” welcoming a visit by the US ambassador to Hiroshima, the first city to suffer a nuclear attack.
Japan, the only country attacked by atomic weapons, has regularly spoken out against nuclear armaments. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, visited the city’s peace memorial and museum on Saturday with envoy Rahm Emanuel.
“When the possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia is increasingly real, I believe Ambassador Emanuel’s visit to Hiroshima and his experience of seeing the nuclear reality will become a strong message to the international society,” Kishida told public broadcaster NHK.
“I believe our visit was meaningful.”
He said Russia’s war in Ukraine shows the difficulties of creating a world without nuclear weapons.
Putin has not directly threatened a nuclear attack. But he warned, in launching his Feb. 24 invasion, that anyone hindering Russia would face “such consequences that you have never encountered in your history” — a statement some leaders took as a threat to use nuclear weapons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia would use nuclear weapons only to counter “an existential threat for our country.”
Leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers on Thursday warned Russia not to use biological, chemical or nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sees growing chance of Russia using nuclear weapons
https://arab.news/pngm8
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sees growing chance of Russia using nuclear weapons
- Japan, the only country attacked by atomic weapons, has regularly spoken out against nuclear armaments
Canada’s Carney arrives in China for state visit
- Carney is the first Canadian leader to visit China in eight years
- China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent years
BEIJING: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
Carney, who is expected to meet President Xi Jinping for talks on Friday, is the first Canadian leader to visit China in eight years.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea in October, which Carney described as a “turning point” in the two nations’ strained relationship.
Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau visited China in December 2017.
But ties withered in 2018 after the arrest of a senior executive from Chinese tech giant Huawei on a US warrant in Vancouver and China’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.
China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent years.
Aside from Xi, Carney will meet with Premier Li Qiang and business leaders for trade negotiations.
Beijing said this week it “attaches high importance” to the visit.
