Over 200 businesses to attend Ukraine Recovery meeting in Japan – media

Nearly 200 businesses each from Japan and Ukraine are expected to participate in a conference in Tokyo on Feb 19-22 to promote Ukraine recovery initiatives.

That’s according to Kyodo, Ukrinform reports.

Ahead of the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Reconstruction on Feb 19, Tokyo is eyeing measures for promoting Japanese firms to launch operations in Ukraine to help the war-torn country's reconstruction, the report reads.

Among the steps being considered, the Japanese government may ease travel restrictions so that some business people could visit Ukraine in response to private sector’s appeals that the evacuation advisory has hindered investment.

The conference in Tokyo comes amid growing concerns that support for Ukraine's defense from Western partners may dwindle.

At the meeting, Japan will aim to reaffirm its commitment to supporting Kyiv through public-private cooperation in energy, agriculture and infrastructure, as the provision of military assistance is restricted under its war-renouncing Constitution.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will outline Tokyo's plans to help Ukraine's recovery.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to deliver a video address, while Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is scheduled to take part in person to pitch the country's needs.

Ambassadors to Japan from other Group of Seven nations and Poland are also planning to attend the meeting, according to the report.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said in January when she visited Ukraine that Japan aims to have over 10 memoranda of cooperation signed with Ukraine in the public and private sectors.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Serhiy Korsunskyi said Japanese companies were showing great interest in the Ukraine Recovery Conference. Many of them have deployed special offices to develop plans for Ukraine.