Section
Connections with Japan
Life in Japan, cultural exchange, and ties built through work.
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Four People in Autumn 2012: Ukrainians Who Received Japanese Decorations and Foreign Minister’s Commendations
The Japanese government awards decorations to foreign nationals who have contributed to exchange with Japan, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs separately gives Foreign Minister's Commendations. This article lists 15 people living in Ukraine or holding Ukrainian nationality who were confirmed in the official lists and embassy announcements from 2006 to 2018, together with the achievements as stated in the announcements, and shows the difference between the two systems and the count in the lists since 2019.
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The “Father of Futurism” Lands at Tsuruga, 1920: Painter Davyd Burliuk’s Two Years in Japan
In October 1920, painter Davyd Burliuk, born in Kharkiv Province, arrived by ship at Tsuruga. From "the First Exhibition of Russian Painting in Japan" in Tokyo to life on Ogasawara and a co-authored book with young Japanese painters, this article traces his roughly two years in Japan through research into contemporary records and encyclopedias.
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From Taiho’s Father to Shishi and Aonishiki: Ukraine in the Sumo Association’s Records
The father of Showa-era yokozuna Taiho was a man born in a Ukrainian village. As of the September 2026 tournament, two active wrestlers give Ukraine as their birthplace: maegashira Shishi and ozeki Aonishiki. Drawing on the Japan Sumo Association's records and research tracing Taiho's father through Sakhalin's archives, this article sets the three men's records side by side.
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Japan-Ukraine Relations | History, Trade, and Economic Support Explained
This article was published in July 2024 and revised in September 2026. Please also read A Japan-Ukraine Timeline — From the 1965 Sister-City Agreement to Yen Loans, which lists events with dates and the body that announced them. News of Japan supporting Ukraine has become more common since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. So when and where did the relationship between Japan and Ukraine begin before that? This time, we explain the relationship between Ukraine and Japan, focusing on history, trade, and economic support. If…
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Ukrainian Deminers Learn Japan’s ALIS Mine Detector — in Cambodia
Japan has sent 54 ALIS mine detectors and 22 demining machines to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, and has held operator training in both Japan and Cambodia together with the Cambodian Mine Action Centre. Estimates of how much land is affected vary widely depending on when and by whom they are announced. This article traces developments from a crane-equipped truck in 2023 to an international conference in Tokyo in 2025.
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Japanese Scholarships Ukrainian Students and Researchers Can Use, and Universities’ Own Support
Right after the full-scale invasion, Japanese universities announced support for Ukrainian students one after another; as of a May 2026 list, 60 universities are named, and 42 of them have already closed their programs. The 2022 special government-sponsored scholarship has also ended. What remains available now is embassy-recommended government scholarships, JDS for civil servants, and the nationality-blind JSPS and JASSO programs. This article looks at who is eligible, where to apply, and how these programs relate to status of residence.
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Level 4 Since February 11, 2022: How to Read MOFA’s Travel Advisories
Level 4 (an advisory to evacuate) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in effect for all of Ukraine since February 11, 2022. This article explains what the four levels mean, why they carry no legal force, why the text matters more than the level, and how to read words like "continued" and "raised," using the September 2026 travel advisories for Ukraine and its neighbors as examples.
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From Bulletproof Vests to High-Mobility Vehicles: What Japan’s Self-Defense Forces Have Sent to Ukraine
On March 8, 2022, a transport aircraft loaded with Self-Defense Forces bulletproof vests and steel helmets departed for Poland. The government amended the operational guidelines for the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology that same day. This article traces the course of the transfers that followed — protective masks, drones, 131 SDF vehicles, and medical supplies — and the rule against sending anything with lethal capability.
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Russia’s Central Bank Is Also Covered: What Japan’s Sanctions on Russia Are Stopping
On March 1, 2022, Japan added President Putin and others, along with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, to its asset-freeze measures. Asset freezes, export bans, and import bans based on the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act have since been joined by an oil price cap and tariff measures, with the most recent addition, as of September 2026, made on September 12, 2025. This article looks, from materials published by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, at what is being stopped.
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What President Zelensky Said in 12 Minutes to a Parliament 8,193 Kilometers Away
At 6:00 p.m. on March 23, 2022, President Zelensky addressed members of Japan's Diet online. The speech lasted 12 minutes. This article reads, from the provisional Japanese translation published by the House of Representatives, what he said about the danger at the Chornobyl nuclear plant, the damage 28 days into the invasion, and his requests to Japan to keep up sanctions and prepare for reconstruction.