Ukraine’s Ambassador to Japan, Serhiy Korsunskyy, who was appointed on 14 April 2020 and dismissed by presidential decree on 21 December 2024 but will remain in office until his successor is appointed, told LB.ua in an interview that trade between Japan and Ukraine is returning to pre-war levels, while the investment situation remains challenging.
In the pre-war period, in 2021, trade between the two countries reached $1.6 billion, but in the first 11 months of this year, it stood at $910 million. Ukraine mainly exported iron ore, cigarettes, and corn to Japan, while Japan primarily exported cars to Ukraine.
“We are trying to do everything possible to increase this trade turnover. I’ll tell you this: when the aggression began in 2022, it dropped by 30% immediately, but last year, in 2023, it rose by 25%. And this year, by 5%. That is, we are actually returning to the pre-war level,” Korsunskyy said.
According to him, exports of ore and long-life food products, such as wine, honey, sweets, and biscuits, have been actively resumed over the past two years.
“We encourage Ukrainian companies. They participate in the exhibitions that take place here. And we are happy to see that the turnover is growing,” Korsunskyy added.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the situation with attracting investment is more complicated.
“Unfortunately, the situation with investments is less successful. I have to admit it. It is, of course, connected with the war,” Korsunskyy explained.
However, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japanese export credit insurance agency (NEXI) have announced the opening of billions of dollars in lines of credit. These are designed, on one hand, to provide Japanese businesses with opportunities to invest in Ukraine, and on the other, to insure these investments even during the war.
“In fact, today there is no problem at all with private Japanese business investing. But in order for it to invest, it needs real serious partners, it needs projects,” the ambassador emphasised.
He highlighted that having a reliable business partner is crucial for the Japanese.
“There is a nuance here: the Japanese, by their nature, look at partners for a very long time and are very cautious about cooperating if the partner is new to them. This is their nature. And this applies not only to Ukraine. So it takes time, but this time will definitely come,” Korsunskyy noted.
According to him, Ukraine is actively working to attract Japanese involvement in large-scale reconstruction projects.