Japan once invaded its neighbors, committed atrocities against their people and suffered defeat in war.

The country rose from the ashes and rubble of war and built a democratic nation under its pacifist Constitution.

It achieved economic development and became a key member of the international community.

The country has provided non-military aid to developing countries and areas ravaged by conflicts and natural disasters.

Now, Japan is facing the challenge of how to support international unity against Russia’s war of aggression and provide support to Ukrainian victims.

It is time to make the most of the expertise and experience the country has accumulated during its postwar history as a pacifist nation.

LONG-TERM AID

Japan has been pouring efforts into helping Ukraine clear land mines. Carrying out the dangerous task is not just vital for the reconstruction of the country.

A huge number of mines laid in Ukrainian farmland by Russian forces are hindering the planting of crops.

The problem could have global consequences because Ukraine is a major grain exporter.

Japan has helped Cambodia remove land mines after its civil war. A Japanese company manufactures specialized heavy machinery for mine clearance.

This is where Japan can use its expertise to help Ukraine.

The government offered a training program for Ukrainian deminers in Cambodia, which is cooperating with Japan on this matter.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, Japan has sent large amounts of supplies in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and surrounding nations.

As Russia launched massive missile attacks against civilian infrastructure facilities in Ukraine this winter, power generators delivered from Japan helped ease the hardships of people suffering from power outages and cuts in the water supply.

The United States and Europe have expanded their military aid to Ukraine as the war has dragged on, supplying such weapons as portable missiles, rocket launchers and tanks.

Japan has changed implementation guidelines for its “three principles concerning overseas transfer of defense equipment” and sent bulletproof vests and protective masks to Ukraine.

Some government policymakers are calling for the expansion of Japan’s defense equipment aid to the country.

But offering long-term assistance requires the government to avoid violating domestic rules and winning broad public support.

Changing the principles to expand supplies of weapons to Ukraine is unacceptable.

Learning lessons from World War II, Japan vowed not to become a military power and instead made achievements in civilian areas and postwar reconstruction.

The country should expand its aid to Ukraine in ways that allow it to capitalize on its accumulated resources and strengths in these areas. To do so, it is crucial to accurately grasp local needs.

CHALLENGE OF CURING DIVISION

Many Japanese have been gripped by anxiety as they saw a major power’s brutal act of invading a neighboring country in a blatant violation of international law.

The focus of their anxiety is on China.

While Japan has every reason to beef up its readiness for unexpected crises, it would be irresponsible to advocate an aggressive military buildup or try to spark fears of China’s security threats. Such acts could only contribute to heightening tensions in the region.

Japan should instead make independent diplomatic efforts to cure the division in the international community created by the war.

The burning challenge is to defuse heightened tensions between the United States and China.

The confrontation between the two leading powers over Taiwan and international hegemony has become even more intense due to a bilateral row over a Chinese balloon intruding into U.S. airspace.

If China moves closer to Russia and starts providing military aid to Moscow, the upshot could be worse than shattered hopes for peace and might trigger a new armed conflict.

Japan should urge both Washington and Beijing to exercise self-restraint and hold dialogue under a strategy based on its alliance with the United States but also designed to take advantage of its deep historical and economic ties with China.

Diplomacy can also ensure the effectiveness of economic sanctions against Russia.

Japan, along with the United States and Europe, has gradually imposed financial sanctions and import bans on Russian oil and coal to cut the flow of money to finance Moscow’s military operations and create an anti-war sentiment in the country.

But shops in Russia are still filled with all kinds of goods and Russian gross domestic product in 2022 posted only a modest contraction of 2.1 percent.

Factors behind the ineffectiveness of the economic sanctions include the moves of India and China to increase imports from Russia as well as higher prices of natural resources.

Many countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, which are suffering from sharp rises of energy and food prices, have refused to respond to Western calls for punishing Russia because of their distrust of leading industrial nations such as the members of the Group of Seven.

Japan has a history of providing economic aid to developing nations in Asia and assistance to improve the living conditions in African nations by helping them develop health care systems and expand food production.

This is the time for Tokyo to serve as a bridge between these countries and the West.

BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

It is an important duty of a country to offer safe places to live for people who have fled because of war. It is also vital to ensure long-term support for those people.

More than 8 million Ukrainians have left their country to escape from the war, according to a U.N. agency. Some 2,000 of them, mostly women and children, are staying in Japan.

It is hard to imagine the stress felt by the evacuees, who are living in a foreign country with a completely different culture and language, with their loved ones left behind in their home country in the midst of a war. 

They can work in Japan, but many are having a hard time trying to find jobs by capitalizing on their qualifications and careers they have built at home due to differences in systems and the language barrier.

The government needs to provide support carefully tailored to their needs, including Japanese language education, employment support and mental health care.

Given the prolonged war, the government should provide broad learning support to Ukrainian children so that they can settle in Japanese society.

It is also necessary to help them maintain their native language skills.

Japan has made an exceptional response to the plight of Ukrainians by accepting almost unconditionally all Ukrainians seeking shelter and protection.

But it maintains high hurdles for asylum seekers from other countries.

The Japanese government should apply its approach to Ukrainian evacuees universally without treating this instance as an exception.

It should instead use it as a model for its efforts to build an inclusive society willing to protect all people fleeing war or persecution regardless of their nationalities or ethnic backgrounds.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 25