March 18, 2022
TOKYO – The government of war-ravaged Ukraine has asked the Japanese government to let Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy deliver a speech to the Diet.
Both the ruling and opposition parties intend to comply with the request and are coordinating procedures.
An online or video address has never been delivered during a Diet session. Currently, there are no video viewing facilities in the plenary halls of the House of Representatives or the House and Councillors.
Officials are considering installing displays in the plenary halls or using conference rooms in lawmakers’ office buildings, among other ideas.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Diet Affairs Committee Chair Tsuyoshi Takagi and his counterpart from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Sumio Mabuchi, held talks in the Diet on Wednesday during which they agreed to cooperate to realize the speech.
After the meeting, Takagi said the address “will help to convey the Diet’s message to the nation and other countries that Russia’s reckless actions should not have happened.”
The budget proposal for fiscal 2022 is expected to be passed at the Diet next week.
The ruling and opposition parties want the speech to be delivered after the passage of the proposal. Zelenskyy is expected to talk about the dire situation in Ukraine and call for increased support.