Japan government to encourage companies to engage in Ukraine recovery

The Japanese government will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion and post-war reconstruction, intending to hold a special meeting for Japanese companies and corporations to encourage CEOs to participate more actively in Ukraine's economic recovery projects.

This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi, who spoke at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, Ukrinform reports referring to Kyodo.

According to the minister, an event dubbed “the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Reconstruction” may be held late this year or early 2024.

"The Japanese public and private sectors can strongly support the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine," he emphasized.

Hayashi noted that after his speech at the London conference, he met with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, inviting him to the Japan meeting, adding that the head of the Ukrainian government accepted the offer.

"The new conference underscores Tokyo's commitment to taking part in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts aggressively through the public and private sectors," reads the report.

As this year's chair of the G7, Japan, along with other G7 nations, pledged “unwavering unity” in support of Ukraine at the Hiroshima summit last month.

In May, the Japanese government held the first meeting of the inter-ministerial council on the Ukraine recovery, at which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to promote public-private cooperation in projects such as demining and infrastructure recovery in Ukraine.

Tokyo has repeatedly expressed readiness to implement in Ukraine unique forms of reconstruction since Japan has experience in reconstruction after the large-scale destruction of World War 2 and numerous natural disasters, including powerful earthquakes and tsunamis.

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.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi, told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London that Japan would provide Ukraine with water purifiers, generators, and construction machines to overcome the consequences of the explosion at the Kakhovka HPP.