Japan to Treat 2 Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers at SDF Hospital

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:34 JST, May 19, 2023

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Thursday that two Ukrainian soldiers wounded in fighting Russian forces would be rehabilitated at the Self-Defense Force Central Hospital, in a rare move to accept wounded soldiers from a foreign country.

The announcement was made when Hamada met with Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky at the Defense Ministry. The measure apparently is to emphasize that Japan, as the Group of Seven chair, supports Ukraine.

The two male Ukrainian Army soldiers in their 20s are seriously injured, and have undergone leg amputation. They will be hospitalized for up to two months starting in June, when they will receive rehabilitation with prosthetics. In principle, the Japanese government will cover several million yen per person in costs for hospitalization and transportation by commercial aircraft.