On September 20, during the G7 Culture Ministerial in Naples, the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Mykola Tochytskyi, met with the Minister of Education and Culture of Japan, Moriyama Masahito.
Mykola Tochytskyi expressed deep respect and gratitude to his colleague for Japan’s strong support and significant assistance to Ukraine in restoring cultural heritage, as well as for supporting education and media through the UN agency UNESCO.
During the meeting, the parties discussed further cooperation in the cultural sphere and the implementation of joint projects, including a bilateral Ukrainian-Japanese agreement on cultural heritage protection.
It is worth noting that the UNESCO/Japan Targeted Fund project “Support for Ukraine in the Field of Culture and Education: Emergency Response for World Heritage and Cultural Property. Damage Assessment and Protection” has been implemented since 2023. The total funding amounts to over $4 million.
The project aims to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity, monitor and assess war-related damage to cultural and natural assets, provide urgent protection of its cultural heritage, as well as reconstruction and enhancement of protective measures. Focus areas include the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the historic center of Chernihiv, the historic center of Odesa, and sites in southern Ukraine affected by the destruction of the dam in Nova Kakhovka.
