Ukraine envoy to Japan sees major role for Tokyo in reconstruction
By Jesse Johnson and Jadenne Radoc Cabahug, staff writer/contributing writer
Ukraine’s envoy to Japan said Monday that Tokyo has two key areas in which it can provide support to Kyiv: providing funds and expertise for rebuilding cities devastated by Russia’s invasion and transferring defense equipment such as anti-drone weapons.
“What I see is that Japan’s role could be in major infrastructure projects,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky said during a news conference in Tokyo a day after Kyiv marked the 500th day of the conflict.
Korsunsky, noting Japan’s vast experience in rebuilding communities after disasters like the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, said Tokyo’s role in supporting Ukraine would likely be bigger in the war-torn country’s reconstruction than during the fighting.
“That's what Japan can do. I mean, really, the experience ... it's immense,” he said. “Nobody knows better than Japan how to reconstruct.”
Last month, Japan agreed to establish a liaison system with Ukraine to support reconstruction efforts in areas damaged amid the war. Tokyo will advise and teach Kyiv rebuilding strategies for homes, schools and infrastructure, drawing on its experiences from the 2011 disasters.
This was followed days later by an announcement from Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi that a Japan-Ukraine reconstruction conference bringing together the Japanese public and private sectors would be held in Tokyo either at the end of this year or the beginning of 2024.
Korsunsky said Monday that the conference — which would be the “biggest” such event between the two countries — would likely be held sometime early next year and would involve major infrastructure projects, including the possibility of a deal on bullet-train technology for Ukraine.
Asked about a proposal currently being debated by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito that would allow Tokyo to export lethal weapons falling under five categories — rescue, transport, surveillance, vigilance and minesweeping — the Ukrainian ambassador said that the proposal appears to “suggest that more sophisticated equipment could be supplied.”
The ambassador praised Japan’s humanitarian assistance, financial support and political backing, but hinted that Tokyo could do more in terms of providing cutting-edge weapons.
“Now probably it's time to consider more serious equipment, which we can use to make our counteroffense more effective,” he said.
Korsunsky pointed to anti-drone technologies made by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the former using lasers and the latter employing a method that disrupts communications. This technology, he said, could assist Ukraine in protecting civilian populations from attacks by Russia, which has employed large amounts of kamikaze drones.
Japan — which has strict guidelines on the transfer of defense gear — is the only Group of Seven nation that has not sent lethal weapons to Ukraine. Still, Tokyo has pushed those guidelines to the limit, sending nonlethal equipment, including trucks, surveillance drones, helmets, bulletproof vests and other gear to Ukraine — the first time it has provided support to the armed forces of another country since World War II.
“We already have 100 trucks transferred from the Self-Defense Forces to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Korsunsky said.
While Japan’s support for Ukraine has been surprisingly strong, a majority of the public remains opposed to easing the existing rules to provide lethal weapons to other countries, with just 20% of respondents saying that the ban on the export of the deadly weapons should be lifted, according to a Kyodo News survey conducted in March and April and released in May.
On the proposed creation of a NATO office in Tokyo — despite opposition from alliance member France — Korsunsky said the move could help countries in the Indo-Pacific attain a better grasp of the concept of collective security amid growing concerns over the military balance of power, defense spending and other issues in the region.
The remarks were seen as a veiled reference to concerns by Japan, the United States and others over China’s rising assertiveness.
The leaders of NATO countries, as well as those from a number of partner nations, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, are due to meet in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the war in Ukraine taking top billing.
“What I see is that Japan’s role could be in major infrastructure projects,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky said during a news conference in Tokyo a day after Kyiv marked the 500th day of the conflict.
Korsunsky, noting Japan’s vast experience in rebuilding communities after disasters like the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, said Tokyo’s role in supporting Ukraine would likely be bigger in the war-torn country’s reconstruction than during the fighting.
“That's what Japan can do. I mean, really, the experience ... it's immense,” he said. “Nobody knows better than Japan how to reconstruct.”
Last month, Japan agreed to establish a liaison system with Ukraine to support reconstruction efforts in areas damaged amid the war. Tokyo will advise and teach Kyiv rebuilding strategies for homes, schools and infrastructure, drawing on its experiences from the 2011 disasters.
This was followed days later by an announcement from Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi that a Japan-Ukraine reconstruction conference bringing together the Japanese public and private sectors would be held in Tokyo either at the end of this year or the beginning of 2024.
Korsunsky said Monday that the conference — which would be the “biggest” such event between the two countries — would likely be held sometime early next year and would involve major infrastructure projects, including the possibility of a deal on bullet-train technology for Ukraine.
Asked about a proposal currently being debated by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito that would allow Tokyo to export lethal weapons falling under five categories — rescue, transport, surveillance, vigilance and minesweeping — the Ukrainian ambassador said that the proposal appears to “suggest that more sophisticated equipment could be supplied.”
The ambassador praised Japan’s humanitarian assistance, financial support and political backing, but hinted that Tokyo could do more in terms of providing cutting-edge weapons.
“Now probably it's time to consider more serious equipment, which we can use to make our counteroffense more effective,” he said.
Korsunsky pointed to anti-drone technologies made by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the former using lasers and the latter employing a method that disrupts communications. This technology, he said, could assist Ukraine in protecting civilian populations from attacks by Russia, which has employed large amounts of kamikaze drones.
Japan — which has strict guidelines on the transfer of defense gear — is the only Group of Seven nation that has not sent lethal weapons to Ukraine. Still, Tokyo has pushed those guidelines to the limit, sending nonlethal equipment, including trucks, surveillance drones, helmets, bulletproof vests and other gear to Ukraine — the first time it has provided support to the armed forces of another country since World War II.
“We already have 100 trucks transferred from the Self-Defense Forces to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Korsunsky said.
While Japan’s support for Ukraine has been surprisingly strong, a majority of the public remains opposed to easing the existing rules to provide lethal weapons to other countries, with just 20% of respondents saying that the ban on the export of the deadly weapons should be lifted, according to a Kyodo News survey conducted in March and April and released in May.
On the proposed creation of a NATO office in Tokyo — despite opposition from alliance member France — Korsunsky said the move could help countries in the Indo-Pacific attain a better grasp of the concept of collective security amid growing concerns over the military balance of power, defense spending and other issues in the region.
The remarks were seen as a veiled reference to concerns by Japan, the United States and others over China’s rising assertiveness.
The leaders of NATO countries, as well as those from a number of partner nations, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, are due to meet in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the war in Ukraine taking top billing.