Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will keep pressure on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, they said on Thursday.
Ardern met Kishida on Thursday in Tokyo in her first overseas trip since New Zealand reopened borders it closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The two leaders "will continue to raise the costs for the architects of Russia's illegal and unjustified aggression" against Ukraine, they said in a joint statement, calling for Moscow's immediate withdrawal from Ukraine.
Both countries have imposed sanctions for what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. Japan said earlier it would increase a loan to Ukraine threefold and provide drones and hazmat suits.
As part of strengthening security ties, the two countries will begin negotiations on an information-sharing agreement.
"This will support ...support peace, stability and security in the Pacific and wider Indo-Pacific region," Ardern told reporters.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, writing by Ju-min Park; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and John Stonestreet)
