Japanese Men Volunteer To Fight In Ukraine Against Russia
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has been of great concern to the entire world. With increasing casualties and destruction, the impacts have been devastating.
Eager to offer their help, folks around the world are going to various means to do so. Among them are 70 men from Japan, who have expressed interest in joining the fight against Russia.
These men, most of whom are soldiers, responded to a call for help by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian embassy in Japan has also reacted to their offer by thanking the Japanese for their efforts.
Ukrainian president asked for volunteers to fight
On Sunday (27 Feb), President Zelensky took to his website to call for volunteer fighters in an official statement.
Specifically, he announced the formation of an “International Legion for the Territorial Defence of Ukraine”.
In his appeal, President Zelensky wrote,
Anyone who wants to join the defence of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals.
Japanese men volunteer to fight for Ukraine
On Tuesday (1 March), Reuters reported that around 70 men from Japan have volunteered to fight in Ukraine through a Tokyo company handling volunteer conscriptions.
This comes on the heels of Zelensky’s appeal, and the Ukraine embassy in Japan calling for volunteers on Facebook as well.
According to The Mainichi, these 70 men include 50 former members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and 2 individuals with experience in the French Foreign Legion.
A spokesperson for the Ukraine embassy has confirmed with Reuters that they are getting calls from Japanese citizens eager to fight against Russia.
However, he is unable to provide further information on the status of the volunteers.
The Ukraine embassy in Japan has reportedly thanked Japanese citizens via social media for their support. They clarified, however, that volunteers must have military experience to qualify for conscription.
On the other hand, the Japanese government has warned citizens against visiting Ukraine for any reason, be it helping the war effort or providing other services.
Heartening to see people offer support
Seeing a crisis unfold in relatively peaceful nations during present times has no doubt been unsettling.
Nonetheless, witnessing the strength of the human spirit as kind folks come together to help is uplifting.
Until a resolution to the conflict has been formed, we hope that the people of Ukraine know that the rest of the world is with them during this tumultuous period.
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Featured image adapted from with Ukraine on Flickr, for illustration purposes only.
