Japan hosts Ukraine reconstruction conference

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction at Keidanren Kaikan building in Tokyo, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool Photo via AP)

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged his country’s long-term engagement in Ukraine’s reconstruction on Monday, calling it an investment in the future, as Japan stresses 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 Japan wants a long-term public-private partnership based on inclusivity, humanitarianism, technology and knowledge. More than 50 cooperation deals were signed by Japanese and Ukrainian government agencies and companies.

“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,” he said.

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Japan hopes the conference will build momentum for international support for Ukraine as the war drags on and attention has diverted to the situation in Gaza.

Kishida stressed the importance of investment across various industries and ensuring that the support caters to Ukraine’s needs.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who heads headed his country’s delegation of more than 100 people, thanked Kishida and said the meeting “is the new start of cooperation between the two countries.”

“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, he added.

About 300 people and 80 companies from the two countries were expected to attend.

The Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction is co-organized by the Japanese and Ukrainian governments, Japan’s powerful business organization Keidanren, and the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO.

The two sides issued a joint communique expressing Japan’s long-term support for helping Ukraine achieve economic stability. The two countries also noted the importance of maintaining tough sanctions against Russia.

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Japan also announced the start of talks toward revising a bilateral investment pact and easing of travel restrictions for Japanese business visitors to Ukraine.

The conference is largely about reconstruction and investment in Ukraine, but it’s also about Japan’s national security given Japan’s concerns about China’s increasingly assertive military actions in the region.

Kishida repeatedly said that “Ukraine today could be East Asia tomorrow,” and that it’s crucial for Japan to advocate its opposition to Russia’s invasion and to what it calls a one-sided change of the status quo by force.

“It is extremely important that we demonstrate our solidarity to Ukraine in our uniquely Japanese way,” Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters Friday.

Japan’s $12.1 billion contribution to Ukraine over the past two years is mostly financial and humanitarian as its military equipment provisions are limited to non-lethal weapons. The help is dwarfed by the $111 billion the United States has provided in weapons, equipment and humanitarian assistance.

Japan’s government has chosen seven target areas — including removal of mines and debris; improvement of humanitarian and living conditions; farming; biochemical manufacturing; the digital and information industries; power and transport infrastructure; and anti-corruption measures.

Japan, in cooperation with other Group of Seven members, hopes to link the Tokyo conference to a separate Ukraine reconstruction conference to be held in Germany in June.