Japan's foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said his government will continue contributing to the reconstruction of Ukraine through demining cooperation with Cambodia and other countries.

Hayashi made the remarks as the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) held a January 20 closing ceremony for a weeklong mine clearance technology training course for Ukrainian officers. The training, which began on January 15, was conducted with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

At a press conference on January 20, Hayashi said Japan has been providing assistance to Ukraine in various areas, and part of that assistance was conducting training on the use of mine detecting equipment which Japan intends to provide to Ukrainian officers.

“Using our expertise in this area and experience with reconstruction cooperation in Cambodia and other countries, Japan will continue to stand by the people of Ukraine and contribute to its recovery and reconstruction,” Hayashi said.

In December, the Japanese government budgeted approximately $500 million for assistance in areas such as winterisation, demining, debris removal and rebuilding livelihoods, according to Hayashi.

“We will cooperate with international organisations, such as JICA or NGOs from Japan, and we are preparing for speedy implementation of support regarding this extensive assistance just like our support for demining and UXO removal in Cambodia.

“Based on our knowledge and experience that we have accumulated so far, we would like to advance support for Ukraine effectively with a clearly visible profile for Japan,” he said.

From January 15-20, Japan had worked with the State Emergency Services of Ukraine (SESU) to provide them training using the Advanced Landmine Imaging System (ALIS), Hayashi said.

CMAC is experienced in the operation of ALIS, and Japanese and Cambodian experts provided training about how to use ALIS and advice on the risks of mines, he said.