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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be traveling to Japan this week amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. During her visit, Pelosi will also be meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Pelosi will be visiting Japan this week and will meet with Kishida, according to sources in Washington and Tokyo. Pelosi and Kishida will seek to reaffirm relations in the midst of the ongoing war in Ukraine as Russia continues its offensive.
The top House Democrat is expected to arrive in Japan as early as Friday and meet Kishida on Sunday at the prime minister’s official residence. Pelosi is also set to meet her Japanese counterpart in the country’s House of Representatives, Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda, during her visit.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters at a news conference that a visit was being arranged. However, no decision has been made so far regarding who Pelosi will meet and what would be on the agenda.
Despite no formal decision so far, Pelosi and Kishida are expected to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. They are also expected to reaffirm cooperation between the two countries in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the midst of potential threats from China.
Aside from Japan, Pelosi is also set to visit Taiwan, a move that will surely draw the ire of China. The top House Democrat’s upcoming visit on Sunday is another mark of American support towards the island nation, which China claims as its territory, and has opposed any meetings between foreign officials and the Taiwanese government.
Pelosi’s visit would be the first time a serving US House Speaker visited Taiwan since Newt Gingrich visited the island nation back in 1997. Both Pelosi’s office and the Taiwanese foreign ministry declined to comment on the upcoming visit.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen would welcome the visit by Pelosi as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised fears that China may try to invade Taiwan through military force, a move that Beijing has not ruled out. Pelosi’s visit would be the most high-profile visit by a US government official under President Joe Biden’s administration.
