Defense & Security

PM Kishida Offers Flowers at Bucha Massacre Site in Ukraine

Minako Sasako / The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, listens to Bucha Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk, right, at a mass grave in Bucha, outside of Kyiv, on Tuesday.

By Minako Sasako / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

14:15 JST, March 22, 2023

BUCHA, Ukraine — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday visited the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where more than 400 civilians were massacred during a roughly monthlong occupation by Russian troops.

Guided by Bucha Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk, Kishida visited a church where 73 bodies were found. The prime minister placed flowers at the mass grave behind the church and stood in silence for some 30 seconds.

“I am outraged by the atrocities,” Kishida said. “Japan will do its utmost to support Ukraine in its efforts to restore peace.”

Kishida looked at photos of the massacre site on display while listening to the mayor’s explanations, and grimaced at the tragic scene.