According to the Saturday editions of all national papers, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will speak to Japanese Diet members remotely on March 23, projecting that he will request additional support from Japan to defeat the invading Russian forces. The speech will be broadcast not at a plenary hall at the Diet but in a large meeting room in an adjacent parliament building due to technical issues with audio equipment.

Yomiuri wrote that both the ruling and opposition camps were initially hesitant to respond to Kyiv’s call to allow President Zelenskyy to deliver an online speech at the Diet since the request was “unprecedented.” They had reportedly cited difficulties installing a widescreen monitor in the Diet chamber and other technical issues.

In a related story, Asahi reported on Tuesday that Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna expressed hope for Japan to call on other Asian nations to participate in the sanctions against Russia. She reportedly told the paper on Sunday in Lviv that Ukraine is “on the frontlines of protecting people’s livelihoods, safety, and democracy in Europe” and said that Ukraine’s contributions should be taken into account during talks on the nation’s membership in the EU.