Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday he will work "tenaciously" to build a broader global consensus to oppose attempts to change the status quo by force in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine, warning that the "logic of brute force" is gaining traction in the Indo-Pacific.
"Russia's aggression needs to go down in history as a clear failure, otherwise it is inevitable that other countries will follow Russia and attempt to change the status quo by force," Hayashi said at a think tank event during his first visit to the U.S. capital since assuming the foreign minister's portfolio in November.
Hayashi met with his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken the same day and reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in connection with Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing views as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary.