Ukrainians fleeing from their war-torn country in Eastern Europe and landing in Japan may feel nervous and even baffled, especially if they have no previous connection to the Asian country.

But what they will likely soon find here is a plethora of support from strangers.

Of the hundreds of evacuee arrivals so far, only four have no relatives or acquaintances in Japan who can help them out. Nearly 700 companies and local governments have already publicly offered to support them in one way or another.

The four were among 20 Ukrainian evacuees who took off from Poland and arrived on the chartered government jet at Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 11:30 a.m. on April 5.

They took antigen tests for COVID-19 before deplaning. After negative test results were confirmed, the 20 emerged at an arrival area.

One evacuee in her 40s and her son aged between 10 and 19 were greeted by Masaru Nishikawa, 78, a resident of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Nishikawa had taught the Japanese art of tea ceremony in Russia around 1991 when it was part of the Soviet Union.

One of his students later opened a tea ceremony school in Kyiv. The woman who arrived at Haneda had taken lessons at the school in the Ukrainian capital.

Nishikawa plans to become the guarantor for the woman and her son and arrange living accommodations for them.

“My students helped me when I was in Moscow. Now it is my turn to help,” he said. “It was a relief to see (them) arriving safely. Until I saw their faces, I was nervous about whether their arrival in Japan would actually happen.”

The mother and son looked tired after the long flight, but they took a train with Nishikawa. The woman caressed her sleeping son’s head on the train.

PLAN TO HELP

By April 3, 404 Ukrainians with relatives or close acquaintances in Japan had arrived in the country to escape the Russian attacks.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference on April 5 that the 20 latest evacuees consisted of 15 females and five males ranging in age from 6 to 66.

The four with no previous ties to Japan and others were transported from Haneda Airport to a nearby hotel on a bus arranged by the government.

According to a government support plan announced on April 1, Ukrainian evacuees who have no relatives in Japan can stay temporarily at a hotel where they will be referred to private companies and local governments.

By April 4, 679 companies and local governments had expressed their willingness to support evacuees concerning employment and living accommodations, depending on their individual needs, the central government said.

The evacuees will also receive living and medical expenses from the government, as well as interpretation services, a translation device, Japanese language lessons, job training and education for the children.

One government source said Ukrainians who could not afford a plane ticket to Japan were among the 20 who were selected in Poland.

The city of Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture offered to support Ukrainian evacuees soon after Russia invaded their country in February.

The city has lit up a cultural facility, Arcrea Himeji, in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian national flag.

Himeji housed Japan’s first facility to support Indochinese refugees fleeing from the chaos of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. It accepted 2,640 refugees.

The city does not know how many Ukrainian evacuees will arrive, but it has prepared to provide them with public housing and educational opportunities at local schools.

Himeji has deepened exchanges with Ukraine through World Heritage sites, such as Himeji Castle. The Ukrainian ambassador to Japan visited the city in 2021.

“The city hopes to actively support them as our neighbors,” a Himeji city official said.

Pan Pacific International Holdings, operator of nationwide discount store chain Don Quijote, has announced plans to welcome 100 Ukrainian households and provide them with job training and support for their daily lives.

“Many foreign visitors have used our (stores), and we employ many foreign nationals,” a company representative said. “We thought about what we could do for humanitarian support.”

ADVICE FROM EXPATS

Diana Hasegawa, 38, a Ukrainian expat who lives in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, has some advice for the evacuees.

“The cultural differences may confuse them at first, but I want to tell them that the Japanese people are friendly and kind,” she said.

Hasegawa came to Japan at the age of 20, speaking broken Japanese.

But after around three months, she said, her Japanese improved, she made friends and she got used to Japanese food.

She said she understands the newcomers “are nervous, but they will meet other Ukrainians here soon.”

Hasegawa also said the evacuees should be hopeful “because the (war) has strengthened the connections of Ukrainians worldwide.”

Her husband runs a restaurant business company, Global Dining Inc.

The company has started raising donations to help Ukraine through beverage sales at some of the restaurants, she said.

“There are many Japanese who want to support (Ukraine). I will do anything I can,” Hasegawa said.

Another Ukrainian expat, a 32-year-old company employee who lives in Osaka Prefecture, said the evacuees will need support to overcome the language barrier.

She came to Japan at the age of 4 and learned Japanese at a nursery school and an elementary school. But she said her mother had a tougher time learning the language.

She also said she heard that Ukrainian evacuees in Japan do not know how to obtain information about their visa status and education for children.

“I hope there is a place where they can obtain all the necessary information,” she said. “I want them to return to their daily life as soon as possible and live without worries.”

(This article was written by Takahiro Takizawa, Kosuke Tauchi, Takuya Miyano and Takaaki Fujino.)