Konstantin Chvykov, left, who oversees the recruitment of Ukrainians at Japanese IT firm i 3 DESIGN Co. and his wife, Izumi, in an office in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward Yasuyuki Onaya Some Japanese information technology companies are employing workers in Ukraine to support their nation as they grapple with the war against Russia.
The IT sector is a driving force for economic growth in Ukraine, dubbed the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe because of its abundance of tech talent.
Human resources are feared to be left the country because of Russia's invasion.
Konstantin Chvykov, 40, who is from Ukraine, has been working at the Tokyo-based IT company i 3 DESIGN Co. since May, which supports companies with their digital transformation.
When he posted a job on a local job search website, Chvykov received applications from 50 people.
He decided to proceed with seven of them.
Chvykov had been living in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, where a fierce battle between Ukrainian and Russian forces was taking place.
He was running a website design company with his Japanese wife, Izumi, 38.
They came to Japan late in March and joined i 3 DESIGN, thanks to the support of Izumi's parents.
He once worked for its local subsidiary in Kharkiv.
Most of its 15 locally hired staff members sought refuge in the western part of Ukraine or neighboring countries after the invasion.
They use their strength as IT professionals who can work anywhere with internet access, because they continue to work remotely.
The recently recruited engineers can work anywhere they want.
Yoichiro Shiba, president of i 3 DESIGN, said we want to support them not temporarily but on a continuing basis. There are many talented people in Ukraine, and they also have positive effects on our growth. The Ukrainian IT industry grew more than eightfold over the past 10 years, according to the Japan External Trade Organization JETRO. Nuclear and aerospace industries laid the groundwork when the country was part of the Soviet Union, with the ratio of tech personnel per population higher than European countries.
There are bases that Google has set up.
Chvykov said that the number of project orders from the United States and Europe has declined.
There are concerns that companies might pull out of Ukraine due to Russia's prolonged invasion.
Osaka-based Next Age Inc. outsources web design work to several companies in Ukraine.
Since March 11 projects have been assigned worth more than 3 million yen $22,500.
President Daisaku Yoshimura said that they can be supported regardless of the distance.
Viacheslav Kolpakov, who operates the company commissioned by Next Age, said Japan is a new market for his company, which has been working with many European firms.
PJ-T C, a Tokyo-based company with operations that include web designing and other tech work, has purchased software that Ukrainian engineers have developed.
In June, Yahoo Japan Corp. and five other IT firms held an employment-assistance seminar for Ukrainian evacuees to boost momentum for support in the entire industry.
Chvykov hopes that not only IT firms but also companies in other industries will do business with Ukrainians to support their livelihoods and keep the economy going.