Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a virtual address to the Diet, Japan's parliament, on Wednesday, ruling party sources said Friday, as he continues to rally global support against Russia's invasion.
Zelenskyy's speech, slated to begin at 6 p.m., is expected to last around 10 minutes, the sources said, with the president intending to speak live if the situation in Ukraine allows him to do so.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky met with the chairs of both the Upper and Lower houses of parliament on Thursday to formally request that the broadcast be realized.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had also asked the Diet to actively consider hosting his address amid growing calls among both ruling and opposition lawmakers for the Ukrainian proposal to come to fruition.
His address is expected to be heard in a meeting room of one of the House of Representatives' office buildings. The event will be hosted by both houses of the Diet.
An idea had been proposed to organize his address in one of the chambers within the Diet building by setting up a huge screen, but the idea was scrapped as there is no precedent, according to the sources.
The two houses of the Diet had proposed Tuesday for the address, but it was set for Wednesday at the request of Ukraine, the sources added.
Zelenskyy has already made virtual addresses to parliaments in Europe and Canada, as well as to the U.S. Congress.
Tokyo has taken numerous steps against Russia since Moscow's invasion of its neighbor, including slapping sanctions on top officials and companies in coordination with the Group of Seven wealthy nations. At the same time, Japan is welcoming Ukrainian evacuees and has also sent nonlethal military equipment to the war-torn nation.