Tokyo, 22 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japan will push ahead with support for Ukraine and plans to host a meeting to encourage companies to participate in the economic recovery of the nation torn by Russia’s invasion, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Wednesday.
The Japanese government plans the gathering for sometime late this year or early next year, Hayashi said in a speech at a two-day conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction in London through Thursday, attended by over 60 nations.
“The Japanese public and private sectors can strongly support the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine” through the meeting dubbed “the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Reconstruction,” Hayashi added.
Hayashi invited Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the envisaged meeting when the two met later in the day in London, and the offer was immediately accepted, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The new conference underscores Tokyo’s commitment to taking part in Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts aggressively through the public and private sectors.
As this year’s chair of the Group of Seven major countries, Japan, along with other members, vowed “unwavering unity” in supporting Kyiv at the summit in Hiroshima last month.
Tokyo has been discussing how to urge more Japanese companies to invest in Ukraine amid Moscow’s war against its former Soviet neighbor since February 2022 which shows no signs of ending.
The Japanese government held its first meeting of a cross-ministry council on Ukraine’s recovery in May. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to promote public-private cooperation on projects such as clearing mines and infrastructure rebuilding.
On Monday, Japan agreed with Ukraine to establish a liaison system to help the Eastern European country reconstruct areas severely damaged during the ongoing Russian invasion.
Referring to Japan’s past experiences of recovery from its defeat in World War II and natural disasters, including a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Hayashi vowed to “vigorously implement a uniquely Japanese form of reconstruction assistance.”
Hayashi also said that Japan will deliver about 160 water purifiers, around 530 generators and some 30 construction machines to areas devastated by flooding caused by the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled Kherson region on June 6.
In phone talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy days after the dam destruction, Kishida vowed to extend $5 million in humanitarian support.
As part of his five-day trip to Europe through Saturday, Hayashi met his G7 counterparts in London and affirmed that the major industrialized democracies will work together closely to restore peace and prosperity in Ukraine, according to the ministry.
The G7 top diplomats also exchanged views on China, whose military has been increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific region, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked about his visit to Beijing from Sunday to Monday, the ministry said.
Hayashi plans to visit Paris during his trip for an international meeting focusing on financial measures to achieve U.N. sustainable development goals by 2030.
