Will Russia head for Japan? Former PM Aso says no guarantee it won’t

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:40 JST, May 8, 2022

Former Prime Minister Taro Aso, who is the vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, has expressed strong concerns over Russia’s invasion of its western neighbor Ukraine and threat to its eastern neighbor Japan.

“Russia went westward, but there is no guarantee it won’t go eastward,” he said during a speech in Fukuoka on Saturday.

Aso stressed the need to strengthen the nation’s defense capabilities.

“In the 75 years since our Constitution came into effect, the resolve to defend our own country with our own hands seems to somehow have been forgotten,” he said.