Scores of Japanese men have offered to fight in Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion.
At least 70 men from Japan have volunteered to join Ukraine’s foreign legion as of Tuesday, a surprising gesture considering the distance and Japan’s pacifistic tendencies.
“When I saw images of elderly men and women in Ukraine holding guns and going to the front, I felt I should go in their place,” Japanese volunteer Keiichi Kurogi, whose offer to fight was declined by the Ukrainian Embassy in Japan due to his lack of military experience, told Reuters.
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The 70 volunteers include 50 former members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and two veterans of the French Foreign Legion, the Japanese Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported.
The Embassy thanked the volunteers on Monday while noting that “any candidates for [Ukraine’s Foreign Legion] must have experience in Japan’s Self-Defense Forces or have undergone specialized training.”
Japan has pushed back on the Embassy’s recruitment, discouraging the recruits from traveling to Ukraine due to the Japanese government issuing a travel advisory.
“We don’t want people [in Japan] to travel to Ukraine for any purpose,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said during a Tuesday press conference.
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Japan temporarily closed its embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday due to the invasion. It is also one of several nations that have taken action to cut Russia off from the SWIFT monetary system.
Ukraine sent out a call on Sunday requesting assistance from foreign forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an order on Sunday authorizing the formation of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, which will employ volunteers from outside Ukraine to assist in its defense. Thousands have responded to the country’s call.
