Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Tuesday to work closely in defending the international order following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kishida told Erdogan during their roughly 25-minute phone talks that he highly appreciates Turkey’s consistent stance to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as Ankara has been stepping up mediation efforts over the war, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. Erdogan explained how Turkey has been playing the role of a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, the ministry said without giving …