The government intends to continue aiding Ukraine, primarily in civilian areas, in line with expectations expressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a recent interview with The Yomiuri ShimbunYomiuri Shimbun.
The government is considering expanding its assistance, such as by strengthening the country's medical system and finding ways to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants, issues cited by Zelenskyy in the interview. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hopes to show the unwavering solidarity of Japan with Ukraine, which he stressed in a recent summit meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday that the United States'll continue to provide solid assistance to Ukraine, extending uninterrupted support in a characteristically Japanese way, based on Zelenskyy's interview remarks. Japan has pledged a total of $7.6 billion about 1 trillion in aid to Ukraine, including the provision of power generators to help Ukrainians cope with the winter cold and landmine-clearing assistance. Zelenskyy thanked Japan for supporting us during the interview.
On Tuesday, Kishida inspected a Japan-provided generator in Bucha, outside Kyiv. Kishida told reporters that I was aware of the importance of our assistance, because of the fact that Japanese support helps Ukrainians.
In Yomiuri interview, Zelenskyy revealed that his country's health care system was facing difficulties. Japan can help in this area. The Foreign Ministry has issued an advisory for Ukraine-based Japanese nationals to evacuate and refrain from entering the country, making it hard for Japan to send medical service workers to that country. Japan was able to provide medical equipment to Ukraine.
Japan could potentially send medical workers to neighboring countries that accept many evacuees from Ukraine, in addition to expanding the provision of goods, including medicines.
Japan could contribute by providing knowledge and technology aimed at ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine, which have been subject to Russian attacks. "We need knowledge from Japan," Zelenskyy said.
Japan has helped the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, which monitors the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine, through the provision of funds for bulletproof vehicles.
A source close to the government said that the prime minister is very interested in nuclear issues. The government will probably consider implementing measures to leverage Japan's knowledge. In Kyiv, Kishida said, We ll support Ukraine in various areas including electricity, landmine clearing and agriculture, underlining the government's intention to continue helping Ukraine.