Japan orders demining equipment from Ukrainian companies to be provided to the Emergency Service of Ukraine

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has ordered humanitarian demining equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers, which it plans to transfer to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine as part of a long-term partnership.

“I am grateful to our partners for not only supporting our humanitarian demining efforts, but also supporting our economy by purchasing Ukrainian demining equipment and machinery. On the one hand, this will allow us to return potentially contaminated land to use faster, and on the other hand, Ukrainian companies will receive additional resources, creating jobs and paying taxes, supporting our budget,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko.

The Japanese agency ordered 12 minibuses from the Ukrainian company Cherkasy Bus. The vehicles will be delivered to the State Emergency Service in November this year.

JICA also ordered eight trailers for transportation of demining vehicles from TRANS-AVTO-D. The Ukrainian companies will mount the trailers on IVECO trucks and then hand them over to the SES. The State Emergency Service received four of these trucks in July, and four more are scheduled for delivery in September.

This equipment is part of JICA's broader support package for the SES as part of its long-term cooperation. The purchase of demining equipment and machinery from Ukrainian manufacturers is part of the Made in Ukraine initiative within the framework of the Sectoral Working Group. 

Japan is a member of the Sectoral Working Group on Humanitarian Demining under the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, and the Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine, Matsuda Kuninori, is its co-chair. 

Japan is one of Ukraine's key partners in humanitarian demining. The amount of funding for mine action projects in Ukraine is more than $70 million. These funds are mainly used to purchase equipment and machinery and build the capacity of the mine action sector in Ukraine. In particular, in July, Japan handed over four demining vehicles to the SES.

“Japan will continue to search for the best possible combination of 'Made in Japan' and 'Made in Ukraine' formats to ensure that only the highest quality equipment and vehicles are transferred to Ukraine. Japan will support and work with Ukraine and its people until the last mine is cleared and all Ukrainians can walk freely without fear of explosives,” said Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda.

It is worth mentioning that the issue of humanitarian demining is overseen by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko. The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine ensures the interaction of central executive authorities in the mine action field, particularly in the area of humanitarian demining.