Envoy Pins hope on Japan’s role in Ukraine’s reconstruction

Jiji Press

14:00 JST, April 2, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky on Friday expressed hopes that Japan will play an active role in the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war with Russia.

At a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Korsunsky said that he regards Japan as a very important “superpower in the world,” and that he expects the country’s leadership in postwar efforts for the reconstruction of Ukraine, which is being invaded by Russia.

He also referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent online speech made to the Diet. The president’s words in the address were “very carefully chosen” in light of the whole cultural, legal and political environment in Japan, Korsunsky said, suggesting that Ukraine is aware of Japan’s internal limits on its role in the military sphere.

Korsunsky also praised Japan for playing an “immensely important role” at international financial institutions. He indicated that Japan can contribute to the restructuring of the dysfunctional global security framework, including the U.N. Security Council, which the envoy described as being “outdated.”

Meanwhile, Korsunsky said a total of over ¥5 billion in donations for Ukraine has been provided from some 200,000 people in Japan so far. The money has been spent for “humanitarian purposes,” he said.