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▼ Japan Foreign Minister Promises Aid For Ukrainian Anti-Drone System
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Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa made a previously unannounced visit to Ukraine on Sunday, saying Tokyo would provide the war-torn country with a drone detection system via aid, amid concerns of dwindling support in some countries for Kyiv’s nearly two-year attempt to fend off an invasion by Russia.
Kamikawa — on her visit to the country as Japan's top diplomat — held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv, pledging during a news conference held in a bomb shelter to dole out a $37 million contribution to a NATO fund that will provide the anti-drone system and other gear.
In the closing days of last year and first week of 2024, Russia has sent hundreds of missiles and kamikaze drones for attacks against Ukraine, with observers calling the strikes some of the largest since the war began.
Tokyo will also provide Kyiv with five mobile gas turbine generators and seven transformers, according to a joint statement released by the two sides, as Ukrainians battle a harsh winter and Russian forces add to their misery by targeting key infrastructure such as power plants.
Japan has been among the most vociferous supporters of Ukraine’s fight against Russia following Moscow’s Feb. 22, 2022, invasion of its neighbor, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida repeatedly stressing the importance of beating back aggression and noting that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow."
Kishida’s comments have been widely interpreted to be a veiled reference to China’s desire to unify democratic Taiwan with the mainland.
Ahead of the visit, the Foreign Ministry said one key part of Kamikawa’s trip would be for Japan to “demonstrate its determination” to uphold the international rules-based order and stress that “unilateral changes in the status quo by force, such as Russia's aggression in Ukraine, must never be allowed.”
On Sunday, Kamikawa, who also briefly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told officials in Kyiv that Japan will "keep supporting Ukraine so that peace can be restored."
The foreign minister also met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for discussions on Ukraine's economic reconstruction ahead of a conference on rebuilding the country in Tokyo slated for Feb. 19.
Shmyhal is scheduled to attend the meeting. Kamikawa said Japan and Ukraine are expected to sign more than 10 cooperation documents involving the private sector at the conference.
A number of Ukrainian cities have been leveled amid the Russian invasion, with infrastructure and transportation networks suffering substantial damage. Ukraine hopes to take a page from Japan’s experience following natural disasters as it looks to rebuild its cities.
Immediately after arriving and in Ukraine, Kamikawa also visited the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where scores of residents were allegedly massacred by Russian forces, to pay her respects at a memorial site there.
"I visited Bucha and saw with my own eyes the fresh scars of the Russian invasion and was shocked by the devastation," she was quoted as saying by the Foreign Ministry.
"After listening to the stories of those involved, I am convinced that we must never allow unilateral changes to the status quo by force, and that we must work to protect women and children, who are particularly vulnerable in war."
Her predecessor as Japan’s top diplomat, current Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, also made an unannounced visit to Ukraine in September — becoming the last Group of Seven foreign minister to travel to the country in a show of Tokyo's support for Kyiv. Kishida traveled to Kyiv in March.
Japan has provided Ukraine with more than $7 billion in aid. It has also sent nonlethal defense gear to Kyiv.
In a step beyond this, however, Tokyo is moving to export license-built Patriot air-defense missiles to the United States following a request by Washington to help replenish weapon stockpiles depleted by its military assistance to war-torn Ukraine.
That move could come after legal constraints on the transfer of lethal defense equipment are eased in the near future.
Kamikawa’s visit to the Ukrainian capital came after she landed in Poland over the weekend as part of a whirlwind tour of five European nations and the United States and Canada. She was also scheduled to visit Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany.
Kamikawa — on her visit to the country as Japan's top diplomat — held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv, pledging during a news conference held in a bomb shelter to dole out a $37 million contribution to a NATO fund that will provide the anti-drone system and other gear.
In the closing days of last year and first week of 2024, Russia has sent hundreds of missiles and kamikaze drones for attacks against Ukraine, with observers calling the strikes some of the largest since the war began.
Tokyo will also provide Kyiv with five mobile gas turbine generators and seven transformers, according to a joint statement released by the two sides, as Ukrainians battle a harsh winter and Russian forces add to their misery by targeting key infrastructure such as power plants.
Japan has been among the most vociferous supporters of Ukraine’s fight against Russia following Moscow’s Feb. 22, 2022, invasion of its neighbor, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida repeatedly stressing the importance of beating back aggression and noting that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow."
Kishida’s comments have been widely interpreted to be a veiled reference to China’s desire to unify democratic Taiwan with the mainland.
Ahead of the visit, the Foreign Ministry said one key part of Kamikawa’s trip would be for Japan to “demonstrate its determination” to uphold the international rules-based order and stress that “unilateral changes in the status quo by force, such as Russia's aggression in Ukraine, must never be allowed.”
On Sunday, Kamikawa, who also briefly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told officials in Kyiv that Japan will "keep supporting Ukraine so that peace can be restored."
The foreign minister also met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for discussions on Ukraine's economic reconstruction ahead of a conference on rebuilding the country in Tokyo slated for Feb. 19.
Shmyhal is scheduled to attend the meeting. Kamikawa said Japan and Ukraine are expected to sign more than 10 cooperation documents involving the private sector at the conference.
A number of Ukrainian cities have been leveled amid the Russian invasion, with infrastructure and transportation networks suffering substantial damage. Ukraine hopes to take a page from Japan’s experience following natural disasters as it looks to rebuild its cities.
Immediately after arriving and in Ukraine, Kamikawa also visited the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where scores of residents were allegedly massacred by Russian forces, to pay her respects at a memorial site there.
"I visited Bucha and saw with my own eyes the fresh scars of the Russian invasion and was shocked by the devastation," she was quoted as saying by the Foreign Ministry.
"After listening to the stories of those involved, I am convinced that we must never allow unilateral changes to the status quo by force, and that we must work to protect women and children, who are particularly vulnerable in war."
Her predecessor as Japan’s top diplomat, current Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, also made an unannounced visit to Ukraine in September — becoming the last Group of Seven foreign minister to travel to the country in a show of Tokyo's support for Kyiv. Kishida traveled to Kyiv in March.
Japan has provided Ukraine with more than $7 billion in aid. It has also sent nonlethal defense gear to Kyiv.
In a step beyond this, however, Tokyo is moving to export license-built Patriot air-defense missiles to the United States following a request by Washington to help replenish weapon stockpiles depleted by its military assistance to war-torn Ukraine.
That move could come after legal constraints on the transfer of lethal defense equipment are eased in the near future.
Kamikawa’s visit to the Ukrainian capital came after she landed in Poland over the weekend as part of a whirlwind tour of five European nations and the United States and Canada. She was also scheduled to visit Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany.
- January 8, 2024
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