Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is the only leader of Group of Seven nations who has not visited the capital of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion started a year ago.

And despite the desires of both Kishida and Kyiv to realize the visit, a trip to the war zone will likely not materialize anytime soon.

“We have been discussing the prime minister’s trip to Kyiv based on various circumstances, such as security measures there. But nothing is certain at the moment,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference on Feb. 21.

Security is not the only thing standing in the way. The government would also have to overcome legal hurdles, possible constitutional constraints and issues of confidentiality for the visit.

During a Feb. 20 meeting held in Tokyo, Kishida said he will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to an online G-7 summit on Feb. 24, the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As host, Kishida will raise the issue of Russia’s invasion at the online meeting and place it high on the agenda of the G-7 Summit scheduled for May.

A central government source said a Kishida trip to Kyiv would further show the world where Japan stands in the war.

“If the prime minister visits Kyiv before the Hiroshima summit, it would draw attention to Japan’s attitude that it has been proactively involved in the issue of Ukraine,” the source said.

Another source close to the prime minister’s office said Kishida’s arguments concerning Japan’s stance on the war would be more convincing if he saw the realities in Ukraine in person.

However, a Foreign Ministry source said Kishida does not need to be obsessed with visiting Kyiv.

“The things that NATO can do are different from what Japan can do,” the source said, noting that six of the G-7 countries are NATO members.

In a January telephone summit, Zelenskyy asked Kishida to come to Kyiv.

Ukraine’s foreign minister told his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, on Feb. 18 in Munich that a Kishida visit to Ukraine is important.

“Seeing that (Kishida) has been invited to Ukraine, we will continue to explore the possibilities of such a visit,” a Foreign Ministry source said.

Kishida had reportedly planned to visit Kyiv to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. But the trip was not realized.

Two main walls stand in the way.

One is how to ensure Kishida’s safety.

Missiles and drones are flying over Ukraine, so it would be difficult for him to enter Ukraine by plane.

Entering the country via a land route, like U.S. President Joe Biden recently did, would be a safer bet.

But the Defense Ministry said other complications from a legal standpoint could arise.

“The Self-Defense Forces Law does not have an explicit stipulation that allows for protection of a dignitary overseas,” a ministry official said.

A Foreign Ministry official said that in such a case, Japan would likely have to ask the U.S. military for help to safeguard Kishida, and even then, complete and total protection would not be guaranteed.

Another wall is the Diet.

Article 63 of the Constitution states that Cabinet members, including the prime minister, must appear in the Diet when their presence is required to give answers or an explanation.

The Diet is currently deliberating the draft budget for fiscal 2023, and Kishida’s presence there could be considered a requirement.

If Kishida were to visit Kyiv, the transportation means and his itinerary would have to be kept secret, like for Biden’s visit.

As a matter of convention, a deputy chief Cabinet secretary explains the itinerary of such trips to the Committee on Rules and Administration of Lower House and Upper House. Committee approval must be gained for such trips to take place.

The committee meets behind closed doors, in principle.

But committee members belong to both the ruling and opposition camps, so there is a possibility that information about a Kishida visit to Kyiv could be leaked.

A Foreign Ministry official expressed admiration for Britain and France because “there were no security leaks at all” when their leaders visited Kyiv.

“They maintained confidentiality very well,” the official said. “It is hard to imagine that Japan could do the same.”

A Diet source said there has never been a case of a Japanese prime minister traveling overseas without mentioning the destination in advance.

The source said Kishida “could probably” say he is traveling to a country neighboring Ukraine, and then say, on very short notice, that he will visit Ukraine.

An official of the prime minister’s office said about such a scenario: “If he is going to visit Kyiv, it has to be announced at the last minute. But that is not a realistic option considering relations with the Diet.”

(This article was written by Kazuki Uechi and Ryutaro Abe.)