After the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, western countries led by the United States continued to impose sanctions on Russia and send more weapons and materials to Ukraine, stimulating the deterioration of the situation. Japan, which is not too big to see the hilarity, has also begun to send military supplies to Ukraine. According to the official news of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces on March 8, Japan's empty KC-767 tanker carried a batch of military supplies from the Komaki base to Ukraine. At the same time, Japan's Ministry of Defense announced that it would strongly support Ukraine.
Allegedly, the consignment consisted mainly of bulletproof vests and helmets, but what Ukraine actually wanted was weapons. As early as the end of last month, Ukraine submitted written documents to Japan's defense minister, Nobuo Kishi, in the hope of obtaining a batch of military supplies, according to a Report by Japan's Kyodo News Agency on March 9. According to sources, Ukraine's written documents mentioned that it hoped to obtain anti-tank missiles, surface-to-air missiles and various types of ammunition. However, the Japanese side refused, on the grounds that it was not legally allowed, which was not in line with the "Three Principles for the Transfer of Defense Equipment" and the "Self-Defense Forces Act".
Although Japan rejected Ukraine's request at the time, Japan eventually revised the "Three Principles for the Transfer of Defense Equipment." Eventually, helmets and body armor provided by Japan were sent to the plane to Ukraine. Russia has not chosen to remain silent about the delivery of military materiel and weapons to Ukraine by countries such as Japan.
According to the Global Network on March 9, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said on the same day that the Russian embassy in relevant countries has issued a notice warning that these countries that send military aid, weapons and mercenaries to Ukraine will take responsibility for their own actions. As for what kind of responsibility to assume, Zakharova said that Russian diplomats and embassies have informed the countries concerned.
As we all know, Japan and Russia have territorial disputes, and there have been various grievances in history, such as the Russo-Japanese War, World War II and the Cold War. Japan's long-term attachment to the United States is also an important reason why it is difficult for Russia and Japan to ease relations. At present, Japan has once again provided military assistance to Ukraine, which has undoubtedly caused the relations between the two countries to begin to lead to a dead end. Since Japan has also participated in the US sanctions against Russia, Japan has been listed in the list of unfriendly countries and regions released by Russia. Although Japan has protested and has also threatened to impose more sanctions, it is difficult to change the status quo of Japan-Russia relations.
In fact, before that, the Chinese side had already given advice to Japan. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, and over the past few decades, many people in China and Japan have worked hard for the further development and cooperation of bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned Sino-Japanese relations at a press conference on March 7 and gave three pieces of advice.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and Japan should support each other, not pose a threat, and the Japanese side should abide by the principles and spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan. Second, China and Japan should establish good mutual trust and lay a good political foundation in order to move forward, especially on major and sensitive issues such as the historical issue and the Taiwan issue.
If the first two points are mainly aimed at Sino-Japanese relations, the third point is very applicable to Japan's relations with neighboring countries. Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out that hegemonism and unilateralism will find it difficult to survive, and that the Cold War alliance and geopolitical confrontation have been hated by the people, and that instead of multipolarizing the world and democratizing international relations, Japan will conform to the trend of the development of the times, rather than blindly following other countries in making some dangerous moves and creating contradictions with its neighbors.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave advice to the Japanese side on the development of Sino-Japanese relations, and although it is advice on Sino-Japanese relations, it can also be used as a reference for Japan-Russia relations. There are differences between Sino-Japanese relations and Russian-Japanese relations, and there are also many similarities, such as the two sides are close neighbors, and at the same time, there are such and such complex intersections in history, and if Sino-Japanese relations can be correctly handled, then Japan can also handle the relations between Russia and Japan, and then build a good atmosphere of regional cooperation.