Prime minister says he wants Japan to “respond as it should as quickly as possible.”

Despite the geographic distance between Japan and Ukraine, the Russian invasion of the eastern European nation has been dominating Japanese news reports since its start a week ago. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that Japan will be accepting Ukrainian refugees displaced by the conflict.

“At this critical stage the international community must show solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and we will be advancing procedures to accept third-country refugees from Ukraine into our nation,” Kishida said, referring to those amongst the roughly 870,000 Ukrainian residents who have fled to neighboring countries in Europe such as Poland, Hungary, Moldova, and Slovakia.

The Japanese government has not traditionally been particularly zealous in accepting requests for political asylum, but public support for Ukraine has been near unanimous, with prominent politicians, businesspeople, and anime artists among those who have voiced concern or otherwise offered aid.

Kishida told reporters he wants to put this plan into action swiftly. “Every single day, there are more and more refugees emerging from Ukraine, and I want our country to respond as it should as quickly as possible.” “I am envisioning those with relatives or acquaintances in Japan will be the first to be accepted,” the prime minister said, but added that he does not intend for such refugees to be the only ones admitted into Japan.

Source: NHK News Web
Top image: Pakutaso
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