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Ex-PM Mori questions Japan’s support for Ukraine, says Russia losing war ‘unthinkable’
- Yoshiro Mori cast doubt on Japan’s excessive support for the war-torn nation, adding Tokyo ‘had built relations’ with Moscow
- His comments come as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida considers a visit to Kyiv
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Former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori, known as a gaffe-prone veteran politician, on Wednesday urged the government against excessive support for Ukraine, saying Russia will not lose its ongoing war in the Eastern European nation.
“I wonder why” Japan has put in “such a big effort to support Ukraine,” the 85-year-old member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said in a speech at a reception that was also attended by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Mori added that Tokyo “had built relations” with Moscow, which invaded its neighbour in February 2022.
“It is unthinkable that Russia would lose the war. If that happened, something harder would happen,” said Mori, who was active in strengthening bilateral ties with Moscow through talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mori served as Japanese prime minister only for about one year from April 2000, as the approval ratings for his Cabinet struggled against the backdrop of his repeated gaffs.
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