Japan eyes more humanitarian aid for Ukraine

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers questions from reporters at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on Wednesday evening.

The government is considering providing an additional humanitarian aid package of about $100 million (about ¥12 billion) to assist displaced people in Ukraine. The government has already announced a prior humanitarian aid package of $100 million, but has decided that more support is needed in light of the worsening situation caused by the ongoing fighting.

 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters Wednesday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech to the Diet that he would consider further sanctions to Russia and additional humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The prime minister will attend a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations in Belgium on Thursday, where he will brief them on the additional aid measures. He departed from Haneda Airport early Thursday morning on a government plane.

 Also, Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa is scheduled to visit Poland, which has seen a large influx of displaced people, in the near future to discuss support measures with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.