Japan hosts Ukraine reconstruction conference to showcase its support for the war-torn country

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday pledged his country’s long-term engagement in Ukraine’s reconstruction, calling it a future investment, as Japan stressed its commitment to supporting the war-torn country ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

In his keynote speech at a conference Japan co-organized with the Ukrainian government and business organizations, Kishida said Japanese public and private cooperation will be a long-term partnership based on inclusivity, humanitarianism as well as technology and knowledge. More than 50 cooperation deals were signed by Japanese and Ukrainian government agencies and companies.

Kishida stressed the importance of investment across industries for the future of that country’s development and ensuring that the support caters to Ukraine’s needs.

Support for Ukraine’s reconstruction is about “investing in the future,” Kishida said. “The war in Ukraine is still going on at this very moment and the situation is not easy. The promotion of economic reconstruction, however, is not only an investment for the future of Ukraine but also investing in Japan and the whole globe.”

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who heads headed his country’s delegation of more than 100 people, expressed thanks for the encouragement and said that “today is the new start of cooperation between the two countries.”

He said “Ukraine is not just rebuilding, we are generating new rules of the game, new approaches,” he said. All eyes are on Ukraine, and “dictators and potential invaders” are also turning their eyes to see how Russia’s violation of the international law is seen and how the world will react to it.

About 300 people and 80 companies are to attend from the two