JAKARTA, April 29 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off his Southeast Asia tour on Friday, meeting his Indonesian counterpart to discuss regional responses to the Ukraine crisis as well as counter China’s growing assertiveness in the region. As Asia’s sole member of the Group of Seven (G7), Japan hopes to hold talks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and consolidate responses in Southeast Asia, where only one nation, Singapore, has joined sanctions against Russia, officials say. In a joint address to reporters, Kishida said Japan remained committed to “calling for a cessation of hostilities [in Ukraine] … and responding to the impact on the world economy.” Indonesian President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, said he had stressed as this year’s president of the Group of 20 (G20) that the war in Ukraine must stop.He earlier said he had invited the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia to the main… read more
