The leaders of Japan and Finland on Wednesday strongly condemned Russia's aggression in Ukraine and agreed on the need for a resolute, united response to the unfolding crisis that is threatening the rules-based global order.
During the first in-person meeting, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida about Finland's plans to potentially join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a historic move that she said would "strengthen" the international community that shares universal values.
"We see the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region as inseparable and oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force anywhere in the world," Kishida said during a joint press briefing with Marin at his office.