The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided a batch of technical assistance to Odesa, according to the Japanese Embassy in Ukraine.
“On May 28, Japan, through JICA, donated eight high-pressure water jets to Odesa’s municipal utilities to help clean and maintain critical infrastructure, thereby strengthening the city’s resilience and recovery. Japan will continue to support the reconstruction of Ukraine and affected communities,” reads a post on social media.
In addition, Japanese Ambassador Masashi Nakagome held meetings with the head of the Odesa City Council, Serhiy Lysak, and the acting mayor of Odesa, Ihor Koval.
The results of a sociological survey conducted in March 2026 by the polling firm Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club information and analytical center show a high and steadily rising level of positive sentiment toward Japan among Ukrainians. The share of positive assessments stands at 71.8%, exceeding the August 2025 figure (68.7%). At the same time, negative attitudes remain minimal—2.8% compared to 2.7% previously.
The breakdown of responses indicates a deeply positive perception of this country. Specifically, 32.9% of respondents describe their attitude as “entirely positive,” while another 38.9% describe it as “mostly positive.” This combination of indicators results in one of the highest proportions of positive attitudes among all countries surveyed.
At the same time, 24.2% of respondents hold a neutral position, indicating a certain distance in perception—likely due to limited direct contact or Japan’s limited presence in the Ukrainian media landscape. Negative assessments remain at a low level: 1.9% — “mostly negative” and 0.9% — “completely negative.” Another 1.2% of respondents were undecided.
The trend indicates a gradual strengthening of Japan’s positive image in Ukraine. The increase in the share of positive responses occurred without a significant rise in negative sentiment, indicating a steady expansion of positive perception rather than a redistribution of assessments across categories.
“For Ukrainians, Japan is an example of a country with a high level of trust and a stable positive image. We see that even without any major news events, its perception is gradually improving. This means that long-term reputation and consistent cooperation policies work much more effectively than short-term media effects,” noted Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group.
Overall, the survey results confirm that Japan is among the countries with the most positive perception among Ukrainians. At the same time, the growth in positive assessments against a backdrop of consistently low negative sentiment indicates the formation of a long-term and stable image of the country as a reliable partner.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, Japan ranks 26th in total trade volume with Ukraine, with a figure of $1.12 billion. At the same time, imports from Japan almost entirely dominate bilateral trade, resulting in a significant trade deficit for Ukraine of over $1.05 billion.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center; the video can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel. The full version of the study can be found at this link on the Experts Club analytical center’s website.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, JAPAN, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE, URAKIN
Starting April 1, 2026, Japan will tighten the rules for obtaining citizenship through naturalization: the minimum residency requirement for foreigners will be increased from 5 to 10 years. This was announced on March 27 by Japanese Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi.
In addition to doubling the residency requirement, the government is also extending the period for verifying applicants’ compliance with civic obligations. According to Japanese media reports, the period for verifying tax payments will be increased to 5 years, and for social insurance contributions—to 2 years instead of the previous 1 year. The new requirements will also apply to applications already submitted.
Until now, the basic rule for naturalization in Japan has been continuous residence in the country for at least 5 years. The Japanese government explains the tightening of requirements by the need to better verify the integration of foreigners and their compatibility with Japanese society. This news is particularly notable given the high international status of the Japanese passport. In the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index, Japan ranks among the world leaders in passport power, sharing 2nd place with access to 190 destinations visa-free or with simplified entry.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has donated three high-power autotransformers worth more than $20 million to Ukrenergo NEC as part of the “Emergency Recovery and Reconstruction Project,” the system operator said on Friday.
“It is not the first time we receive donor assistance with scarce and expensive high-voltage equipment from our Japanese partners. Given the consequences of Russia’s massive attacks, the powerful autotransformers delivered at the end of last year are extremely necessary for the Ukrainian energy system,” said Vitaliy Zaichenko, chairman of the board of NEC Ukrenergo.
For his part, Osamu Hattori, Head of the JICA office in Ukraine, expressed his respect for the Ukrenergo team for its technical excellence.
“We deeply admire the resilience and technical excellence of the Ukrenergo team. JICA is committed to continue helping to improve the reliability, security and long-term sustainability of Ukraine’s energy system,” he emphasized.
As Ukrenergo explained, the logistics of cargoes of such type as the above-mentioned autotransformers is a very complicated process due, first of all, to the dimensions of the cargo. The weight of each of the three transformers is almost 200 tons, with a height of 4.5 meters and a width of almost 4 meters.
“Taking into account the dimensions of the transportation platform and the weight of the tractor itself, the route is laid out in such a way as to bypass many bridges, over which or under which it is impossible to pass,” the NEC said.
Ukrzaliznytsia received 2,000 tons of high-tech R-65 rails from Japanese manufacturer Nippon Steel, with another 1,000 tons expected to be delivered by the end of January, according to a press release from the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development on Thursday.
According to the release, this cooperation was made possible within the framework of the third phase of the emergency recovery program through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“This was the result of systematic interaction and successful agreements with Japanese partners on the part of the Ministry in early 2025. Ukraine currently does not have its own rail production, so attracting partner support is necessary and crucial for the functioning of the Ukrainian railway,” the ministry emphasized.
It is noted that the cooperation currently involves the transfer of 3,000 tons of rails for a total amount of about $4 million.
The ministry specified that railway workers use mobile complexes to weld rails directly on the tracks and thermally join joints, resulting in the creation of a so-called “velvet track” without joints, which increases its service life and ensures smooth train movement.
“We are sincerely grateful to the Government of Japan for its strategic support, which allows us not only to maintain the network, but also to carry out major repairs in accordance with the highest international standards, ensuring reliable connections even in the most difficult times,” said Marina Denisyuk, Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development, in a press release.
The Ministry of Development recalled that support from the Japanese government and JICA has continued since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation. In particular, during this period, almost 25,000 tons of rails have been delivered, which has made it possible to renovate more than 193 km of tracks on strategic routes of the Lviv, South-Western, Dnipro, Southern, and Odesa railways.
In addition, railway workers also received 24 units of construction and loading/unloading equipment from Komatsu, Toyota, and Sonalika, 22 of which were track equipment, and the total cost of equipment and materials supplied during the first two phases of the program exceeded $42 million, the agency noted.
“The delivered equipment, namely wheel excavators, loaders, and bulldozers, has already worked more than 13,000 motor hours on emergency repair work,” the agency emphasized.
In 2026, Ukraine will receive $6 billion from the Japanese government for humanitarian and technical support, according to Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Olena Kondratiuk.
“The Rada at our first official meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Masashi Nakagome… Japan has already provided Ukraine with more than 2,500 electric generators of various capacities, more than 65 transformers and 10 electric generator sets, and other critical equipment to support and restore the power system,” she wrote on her Facebook page on Wednesday.
Kondratyuk also expressed gratitude for the allocation of approximately $149 million in the supplementary budget approved by the Japanese parliament at the end of 2025 for projects under the Emergency Recovery Program for Ukraine.
She noted that Japan’s total financial and humanitarian assistance has already exceeded $15 billion.
In addition, Japan is assisting with the rehabilitation of Ukrainian military personnel, has joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, and has voted in favor of recent pro-Ukrainian resolutions at the UN. In particular, Japan co-authored and supported the resolution “Return of Ukrainian Children.”
“It is important that Japan, as a G7 country, is putting sanctions pressure on Russia and supporting the prosecution of the aggressor country. This includes through the mechanism of the Special International Tribunal. I am convinced that only joint sanctions by all G7 countries, including the US and Europe, can force Russia to engage in peace talks,” Kondratyuk added.
As for the meeting itself, the parties discussed interparliamentary cooperation and the situation with the announcement of early parliamentary elections in Japan, which are scheduled for February 8, 2026.
In turn, Ambassador Masashi Nakagome noted that the vast majority of Japan’s key political forces support Ukraine. According to him, Japan will continue to provide financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
