Japanese companies can play big role in Ukraine's recovery - Shmyhal

He said this in an interview with Kyodo News, Ukrinform reports.

Shmyhal said his country is "interested in comprehensive cooperation with Japanese business," adding he sees "huge potential" for the relationship between Japanese companies and Ukraine.

He singled out the energy, infrastructure, agriculture, engineering, IT, and security and defense sectors as areas where Japanese firms can play a "huge role in assisting the recovery" which the World Bank estimated last March will cost $411 billion over the next decade.

Shmyhal also expressed hope that major Japanese automakers will share their engineering expertise with Ukrainian businesses and other companies will cooperate in fertilizer production and extraction and processing of critical raw materials such as lithium.

Additionally, Shmyhal said he sees potential for improved cooperation with Japan on nuclear power as Ukraine aims to have at least four new nuclear reactors operating by 2033, with it also aiming to improve the productivity of its existing plants.

Of Ukraine's 15 nuclear reactors, six at its Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are currently under Russian control, Shmyhal said.

Japan and Ukraine are expected to sign a bilateral memorandum at a reconstruction conference in Tokyo on February 19, which Shmyhal said is the "biggest signal" they can give to companies in both countries that "they can safely and successfully invest in Ukraine."

Around 200 major Japanese and Ukrainian firms are expected to join the meeting. A number of other memorandums and agreements are also in the pipeline, with the premier saying, "The more, the better."