Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is not likely to attend a meeting of G-20 foreign ministers scheduled in New Delhi from Wednesday, citing budget session but perceived as a negative signal over the Ukraine-Russia war, reports said.
The Ukraine issue left its shadow over the Group of 20 major economies at a meeting on Wednesday when several participants walked out in protest at Moscow's aggression as Russia spoke.
Japan has not confirmed as yet whether Hayashi will attend a meeting of the Quad nations on Friday that consists of the US, Australia, India and Japan, said a Bloomberg report quoting an unnamed official. Confirming the development earlier, Nikkei newspaper had said that a deputy minister would attend the Delhi meeting instead.
However, the move comes at a time when India was hoping to strengthen its ties with Japan, especially as the host of the Group of 20. Strategically, both nations vouch for security in the region amid concerns over China's assertive behavior in the region, with the shadow of Ukraine-Russia's war hovering over the region.
"Final discussions are still under way about who will attend from the Japanese government," Japan's foreign affairs minister Hayashi told reporters on Tuesday. "We will in any case convey our views properly as G-7 chair," he added quickly on a note of priority to the bigger group than the G-20 or Quad.
The news of not attending G-20 meeting by the foreign minister evoked sharp criticism from the the legislators in Japan, including those within the ruling LDP.
"It's a regrettable decision that means forfeiting a chance to emphasize the importance of the rule of law to the developing countries that take part in G-20," said Goshi Hosono, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, who was previously a member of the opposition Democratic Party.
Criticism within LDP
In fact, the decision not to attend the Delhi G-20 meeting comes after Hayashi's itinerary of bilateral discussions with some of his counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting were already arranged, reported Kyodo news agency.
Citing an unnamed Indian government official, the report said he described Hayashi's decision not to attend would be a negative move giving the impression that Tokyo values only the G-7 and not G-20. Japan is the host of G-7 meeting in May this year and is planning to extend invitation to India and Asutralia.
Japan Prime Minster Fumio Kishida had reiterated his government's prioroty to strengthen ties with India when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tokyo for the funeral of former PM Shinzo Abe in September. Both Japan and India even held their first joint military air drills in January.
Until recently, Japan had regarded the G20 meeting on Wednesday in Delhi to pave the way for the success of the G7 summit in Tokyo in May to discuss issues including Ukraine, nuclear disarmament and climate change, but the latest development is unlikely to go down well.
The G20 group consists of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
(With inputs from agencies)
