Kishida and U.K.’s Johnson oppose use of force in Ukraine crisis

Amid continued tensions around Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, agreed Wednesday that any attempt to change the status quo by force is unacceptable.

In their 25-minute talks over the phone, the two leaders confirmed that their countries will closely cooperate to continue diplomatic efforts to ease the tensions.

“We consistently supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Kishida told reporters after the talks. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation with grave concern and respond appropriately in close cooperation with our partners in the international community, as well as Group of Seven allies.”

Elsewhere in the phone talks, the two leaders agreed to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

They also agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in the security field, including the continuation of negotiations on a pact to set out the legal status of the Self-Defense Forces and the British military on each other’s territory.

Kishida called on Britain to abolish its restrictions on imports of Japanese food products, which were introduced following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011. Johnson said progress is being made on the matter.