Japan: Culture, Economy, Future of Cooperation with Ukraine

31.3.2025

A meeting was held with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan, at which culture, economy and the future of cooperation with Ukraine were discussed.

On March 26, 2025, students and teachers of the Department of Finance, Accounting and Banking, together with colleagues from Lutsk National Technical University, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, took part in a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, Honored Economist of Ukraine – Serhii Korsunskyi.

Thanks to friends from the Faculty of Management and Marketing of Ihor Sikorskyi Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, who organized the event, we had a unique opportunity to talk with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan Serhii Korsunskyi and receive valuable information about Japan and its economic development.

Serhii Korsunskyi spoke about the national traditions of the Japanese, their culture and love for their native country, and the prospects for the development of relations between Japan and Ukraine.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan noted that Japan supports the sovereignty of Ukraine and its territorial integrity, provides significant financial and humanitarian support, in particular for the State Emergency Service.

Students have unique opportunities to study the Japanese language and study in Japan due to the availability of hundreds of places for participation in government and non-governmental academic exchange programs. It is worth going to study in Japan for at least a year. It is worth realizing that at negotiations, as a rule, it is not the heads of state who speak, but translators. Therefore, it is necessary to study foreign languages.

It was extremely interesting to learn about Japan. Everything that can be recycled is recycled, the remains are burned. Ski resorts are built high in the mountains on the site of landfills. Japanese society is characterized by a very respectful attitude towards nature. There is no garbage on the streets and there are no bins for its collection. Everyone takes waste home and sorts it there. Instructions on sorting garbage are sent to the mail.

School and education are the foundation of everything. Schools are being built in remote villages and small towns. Children clean up the school after school themselves. Culture begins with education.

If for us (the State Emergency Service) the issue of parking in densely built-up areas is a huge “headache”, then for the Japanese it is solved in a matter of minutes, and the car will be evacuated by municipal services. Special transport can always arrive, because people should live in a comfortable environment and safety.

The whole world is queuing up for Japanese investments. Unfortunately, very little is being done in Ukraine to ensure that Japanese investments come to us. For example, two years of court proceedings regarding the refund of VAT to a Japanese company is a very negative experience with international resonance.

Today, the Japanese are surprised and at the same time delighted with the Ukrainians. They cannot believe that there is a war going on in the country, and everything is working. Hundreds of Japanese companies are ready to enter Ukraine after the war ends. The attitude towards Ukraine has fundamentally changed.

Promising sectors for investment:

• Energy. Construction of small modular reactors underground throughout Ukraine, which will change the entire energy concept, and the use of heat pumps.
• Agriculture.
• Mechanical engineering.

It is worth working systematically, not importing “scrap metal” – used cars. Ukraine has a chance, the Japanese will definitely come with investments. They know the domestic educational potential and study everything very carefully.

The main language of the Japanese is “the language of the air”. How you behave, how you communicate, how you are dressed, how you enter the room – all this matters. As much as possible, do not create inconvenience for those around you. Do everything automatically, as the “language of the air” suggests. “I am, because you are”.

Culture and respect for each other. A queue means a queue. A 15-kilometer queue for a musical novelty. All this has a consequence: the average life expectancy is 84 years for men and 88 for women.

100% of the population is covered by health and pension insurance. The insurance payment for health insurance is meager – about $10 per month. 70% is paid by the state, and 30% by the unemployed person. 90% is paid by the enterprise, and 10% by the employee of the enterprise. Medical examinations are mandatory for insured persons. Foreigners who work also pay contributions. State pensions are small, but people save money on their own. The accumulated funds in pension accounts exceed the country’s annual GDP three times. Japan’s external debt is 300% of GDP, but the economy is doing well.

Japan’s experience has been repeated in South Korea, China, and Vietnam. To rebuild countries, it is first necessary to establish fair rules, hold elections to legitimize the new government, and build a state of law. First of all, the emphasis should be on the development of the economy and exports.

Today, Japan is 80% dependent on food and 100% on energy. It has created a philosophy of economic development: small, consistent changes, constantly at every level.

We sincerely thank the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan, Serhii Korsunskyi, for the interesting communication that made us fall in love with Japan, as well as our colleagues from KPI for organizing an incredible meeting.