Paper short abstract:

The paper considers Japan's development assistance to Ukraine. It utilises documentary and stakeholder interview materials to explore initiatives undertaken in the wake of 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, and how trends and directionality in Japanese aid programmes shifted after February 2022.

Paper long abstract:

After the Russian armed aggression on Ukraine in February 2022, Japanese PM Kishida Fumio promptly supported sanctions against Russia and allocated emergency humanitarian assistance funds to Ukraine. Furthermore, shortly before the conflict erupted, Kishida offered substantial emergency loans to Ukrainian government. Since then, Japan has continued its support through multiple loans and grants delivered on bilateral basis, or channelled via multilateral institutions. These measures represent Japan’s commitment to protecting the existing rules-based world order and reflect the increasing engagement of Japan in Ukraine in the recent years. At the same time, they constitute a radical departure from a (strategic) rapprochement with Russia pursued by the formed PM Abe Shinzo.

The following paper considers this momentous change in Japan’s approach towards Eastern Europe through the lens of the country’s development assistance flows to Ukraine. The paper utilises documentary and stakeholder interview materials to explore initiatives undertaken in the wake of 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, and how trends and directionality in Japanese aid programmes shifted after February 2022. The paper investigates the designated fields of Japanese engagement through ODA instruments, such as the improvement of the economic situation in Ukraine, the support for democratic consolidation, and the fostering of a dialogue for national integrity within the Ukrainian population; and contribution of ODA initiatives towards the building of resilience of Ukrainian society and institutions prior to 2022. Subsequently, the paper ponders disruptions to the existing Japanese development assistance projects in Ukraine in the aftermath the Russian aggression. Finally, it explains transition towards programmes aiming to 1) buttress Ukrainian statehood during the current conflict through direct budget support, 2) further provision of humanitarian assistance, and 3) exploration of groundwork for future post-war recovery and reconstruction initiatives.

Finally, the paper offers preliminary thoughts on potential ramifications of the upcoming revision of Japanese Development Cooperation Charter (2023) for prospects of Japan’s development assistance initiatives in Ukraine. Additionally, it assesses the pertinence of observed permutations of Japanese ODA in relation to managing larger strategic uncertainties by PM Kishida Fumio and operationalising his “Vision for Peace”.