State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tsuji and State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Iwata visited Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, together with representatives of Japan and business on August 20, and met with Prime Minister Shmyhal and others, and confirmed that they will work together to develop infrastructure such as bridges destroyed by Russia's military invasion.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tsuji and State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Iwata visited Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, together with representatives from 20 Japan companies on March 10, and met with Prime Minister Shmyhal and others.
At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Shmyhal said, "I am very grateful for the support of the Japan government and businesses in the midst of Russia's ongoing aggression, and I am confident that this visit will lead to concrete success in reconstruction."
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tsuji responded, "This visit is extremely important in further deepening the involvement of Japan companies in the recovery and reconstruction assistance to Ukraine in the future."
During the meeting, the two governments confirmed that they would work together to develop infrastructure such as bridges destroyed by Russia's military invasion.
They also agreed to accelerate preparations for the conference on Ukraine's economic revival, which will be held in Tokyo in February next year.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Iwata said, "We need the cooperation of the private sector in terms of economic recovery."
After this, a meeting was held between business representatives from both countries, and they agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of energy and agriculture.
Person in charge of a Japan company: "I want to help in some way"
Representatives of Japan companies who visited Kyiv attended a meeting with Ukrainian companies on the 20th and exchanged opinions on what kind of demand there is for recovery and reconstruction.
Kenji Matsuno, a board member of IHI, a major machinery manufacturer that aims to cooperate in the development of infrastructure such as bridges and roads, told reporters, "We Japan companies are proud of our ability to overcome hardships such as post-war reconstruction and earthquake disasters. I would like to take this opportunity to build a relationship where I can talk directly with government officials."
In addition, Yosuke Yamagata, CEO of Allied Carbon Solutions, a company that aims to produce surfactants using oil from sunflower seeds, a specialty of Ukraine, as a raw material, said, "We can share production methods and set up a joint venture together."
In addition, Emi Komai, managing director of Komai Haltec, a company that aims to collaborate with the Ukrainian side in wind power generation, said, "I heard from Ukrainians that if jobs and industries are created, there will be no need to go abroad.