Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday he has agreed with his counterparts from the United States and the European Union to support refugees fleeing Ukraine after Russia's invasion.
Kishida provided no further information on what type of support will be extended, but his comments came after Japan pledged to extend emergency humanitarian assistance worth $100 million to Ukraine.
The White House said in a statement the "leaders recognized the bravery of the Ukrainian people" and discussed the continued security, economic and humanitarian assistance that can be delivered.
In the phone call initiated by U.S. President Joe Biden, Kishida also expressed opposition to any threat or use of nuclear weapons.
Kishida, an elected representative from the city of Hiroshima that suffered a U.S. atomic bombing in World War II, made the statement after Russian President Vladimir Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert in defiance of international calls for diplomacy.
During the discussion also involving Britain, Canada and EU members bordering Ukraine such as Poland, the leaders affirmed their resolve to impose "powerful" sanctions against Russia, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
"I told the other leaders that Russia's aggression shakes the foundation of the international order at its core, which requires united and resolute action by the international community," Kishida told reporters at his office following the phone call.
"As prime minister from the only nation to have suffered the atomic bombings, and in particular Hiroshima, I stressed that we should never tolerate any threat or use of nuclear weapons," he added.
The White House statement also said the leaders discussed their "coordinated efforts to impose severe costs and consequences to hold Russia accountable while working to maintain global economic stability, including with regard to energy prices."
The participants agreed that Russia's invasion seriously violates international law prohibiting the use of force in such a manner and vowed to continue to support the Ukraine government as well as refugees fleeing the country.
Kishida said Russia's behavior is not just shaking the security of Europe but "the whole international order," and called for the "costs" of attempting to change the status quo by force to be clearly demonstrated, according to the foreign ministry.
Japan is concerned about China's assertiveness in the region, including its territorial claims in nearby waters and toward Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island which Beijing views as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland by force if necessary.
While Russia continues its attacks against Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters on Monday the Pentagon believes the Russian military's advance on Kyiv -- their main line of effort -- "remains slowed."
"We expect that they're going to want to continue to move forward and try to encircle the city in coming days. They are not there yet," the official said, adding that Moscow has been "frustrated by their lack of progress on Kyiv."
Such frustration could result in a re-evaluation of tactics and the potential for Russian forces to be "more aggressive and more overt in both the size and the scale of their targeting of Kyiv," he warned.
The United States, meanwhile, has not changed the alert level of its nuclear forces in response to Putin's order on Sunday to put Russian nuclear deterrence forces on high alert.
"We think provocative rhetoric like this regarding nuclear weapons is dangerous, adds to the risk of miscalculation, should be avoided and we will not indulge in it," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a press conference.
"We are assessing President Putin's directive and at this time we see no reason to change our own alert levels," she added.
Amid the deepening Ukraine crisis, the United States has shuttered its embassy in the Belarusian capital of Minsk and allowed the voluntary departure of nonemergency employees and family members at its embassy in Moscow.
Belarus, which has close ties with Russia, allowed Russian troops to be positioned in the country before launching the Ukraine invasion.
The U.S. government also announced it will expel 12 members of the Russian Mission to the United Nations, alleging they were working as "intelligence operatives" who abused their privileges of residency in the United States by engaging in espionage activities.
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