Japan's government intends to send its justice minister to Poland as a special envoy tasked with laying the groundwork for accepting evacuees from Ukraine. Tokyo may allow some evacuees to accompany the minister when he flies back to Japan.

A plan by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to dispatch Justice Minister Furukawa Yoshihisa as his envoy is part of ongoing preparations to take in Ukrainians fleeing the violence in their country.

Under the plan, Furukawa will depart for Poland on April 1. Upon arrival, he will consult with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki about how to support Ukrainians.

Also under consideration is a plan to allow some evacuees to accompany Furukawa on a government plane back to Japan, if they wish to do so.

Foreign ministers from NATO member states and countries such as South Korea and Australia are set to meet in Belgium in early April. Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa is preparing to attend the meeting.

He wants to confirm cooperation with his counterparts on responses to the situation in Ukraine by stressing that any attempt to change the status quo by force would affect not only the order of Europe, but also that of Asia.