By YUICHI NOBIRA/ Staff Writer
April 5, 2022 at 15:49 JST
A Japanese government plane with 20 Ukrainian evacuees aboard arrives at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from Poland on April 5. (Kaho Matsuda)
Twenty Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on April 5 after receiving a sendoff in Warsaw from Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Hayashi, who was on an inspection tour of the refugee situation in Poland, said he personally met the 20 Ukrainians in the Polish capital on the morning of April 4 and gave them words of encouragement.
He also arrived in Tokyo on April 5 on a separate Japanese government plane.
The Ukrainians are expected to stay in a hotel arranged by the central government, pick their desired places to live in Japan through talks with municipal officials, and then head to their host communities.
As of April 2, Japan had taken in 393 Ukrainian evacuees since Russia invaded their country on Feb. 24. They all had relatives or friends in Japan.
But some of the 20 new arrivals are believed to have no connection to Japan.
Hayashi was visiting Poland to grasp the refugee situation and determine the needs of the Ukrainian evacuees.
He said that bringing in Ukrainians who lack the financial resources to travel to Japan reflects “part of the government’s efforts to extend assistance from a humanitarian viewpoint.”
The central government has been preparing a support program to help Ukrainian evacuees find work and learn the Japanese language. It is also providing living and medical expenses and other assistance.
The central government said about 600 local governments and businesses had offered to help the evacuees by April 1.
Before his departure from Warsaw on April 4, Hayashi reiterated Japan’s commitment to helping Ukrainians.
“We are determined to provide our utmost support to the evacuees so that they will feel comfortable and secure in making a living in Japan even though they are so far away from their home,” he said. “We are ready to work with local governments and businesses for this end.”
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