May 9, 2022
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making arrangements to attend the Asian security conference known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, to be held June 10-12 in Singapore, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s maritime expansion in mind, Kishida plans to call on other countries to unite to deny those who would use force to seek unilateral changes to the status quo, according to government sources.
The prime minister intends to urge countries to cooperate in areas including economic sanctions against Russia, saying its invasion shakes the foundations of the international order. He is also likely to share his concerns over issues related to the security environment in East Asia, including the expansion of China’s military power and North Korea’s missile launches.
Kishida is expected to make a final decision after considering such factors as the situation in Ukraine and the Diet schedule. If he makes it to the security conference, it will be the first time for a Japanese prime minister to attend the meeting since 2014, when then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participated.
Last year, then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also considered attending the annual Shangri-La Dialogue run by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, but the think tank canceled the event for the second year in a row amid the COVID-19 pandemic.