Japan is making final arrangements to send Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to Poland from Friday in place of Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa, who was found to be a coronavirus close contact, government sources said Thursday.
The decision to send a representative to Poland is part of Tokyo's efforts to assist those fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Tokyo is considering transporting Ukrainians and Japanese nationals who have fled the war back to Japan on a government plane.
Furukawa was to leave for Poland on Friday as a special envoy of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, but he was found to be a close contact of a family member infected with the coronavirus, according to the government.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said at a meeting of the House of Representatives steering committee earlier Thursday that the government was considering various options, including postponing the visit or sending Jun Tsushima, senior vice justice minister.
Hayashi is now expected to make a five-day trip through Tuesday and meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and high-ranking officials. Tsushima is set to accompany the foreign minister, the sources said.
Poland has received by far the largest influx of Ukraine refugees following Russia's invasion more than a month ago, and Kishida told Morawiecki last week in Belgium that Japan will accelerate its pace of accepting people who have fled the war.
Since March 2, when Kishida announced Japan would accept evacuees from Ukraine as part of its humanitarian response, more than 320 have been granted entry.
On Wednesday, the United Nations said more than 4 million refugees have now fled Ukraine since the start of the conflict, with over 2.3 million seeking refuge in Poland.
