Photo/Illutration Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Nov. 16. (Provided by the Foreign Ministry)

KYIV--The foreign ministers of Japan and Ukraine expressed grave concerns about the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia in its war against Ukraine.

In a meeting here on Nov. 16, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, that Japan will continue to stand by Ukraine in the conflict, now in its third year.

Sybiha told a news conference after the meeting that Ukraine is very concerned about the possibility of Russia transferring missile and nuclear technologies to North Korea.

The ministers also agreed that Japan and Ukraine will hold security policy dialogue between senior foreign and defense officials.

Iwaya separately met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He said Zelenskyy explained his “victory plan” to end the war against Russia.

“We conveyed Japan’s unwavering stance of being with Ukraine,” Iwaya told reporters afterward.

In a video speech on the night of Nov. 16, Zelenskyy welcomed Iwaya’s visit to Ukraine, noting it came on the heels of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba forming his second Cabinet on Nov. 11.

He said the visit symbolizes the close relationship between the two countries.

Zelenskyy also expressed appreciation for the support Japan has provided to Ukraine to the tune of $12 billion (1.85 trillion yen).

He called Japan a true leader in Asia in terms of protecting the rules-based international order as well as human lives.

The latest assistance from the Japanese government consists of electrical equipment items to help Ukrainians through the cold winter months, when power shortages are feared.

The items, including 32 generators, will be given to the cities of Kharkiv and Odesa through the United Nations Development Program and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Ukraine has lost about 60 percent of its power generation capacity due to Russian attacks on infrastructure facilities from March.

“We promise to walk with Ukraine to bring peace back to its beautiful land as soon as possible,” Iwaya said at a presentation ceremony in Kyiv on Nov. 16.

Iwaya is the first minister of the Ishiba Cabinet to visit Ukraine. He is the third Japanese foreign minister to travel to the country after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

(This article was compiled from reports by Nen Satomi and Gakushi Fujiwara.)

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