On March 27, a meeting of the team of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy headed by Oleksandr Tkachenko and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori took place at the MCIP. The parties discussed cooperation in the spheres of protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage of Ukraine, support for Ukrainian artists, cultural institutions and creative industries in Ukraine, digitalization of culture and support of Ukrainian media.
Japan strongly condemns russia’s actions against Ukraine and insists that russia must be held strictly accountable for war crimes. At the same time, the Japanese people fully support Ukrainians, in particular in the field of culture. Tours of Ukrainian artists have already been successfully held in the largest cities of Japan. In the future, a number of events aimed at supporting artists and promotion of Ukrainian culture in Japan are also planned. These are the tours of the National Opera of Ukraine and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine this year. This was emphasized by the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori.
Oleksandr Tkachenko expressed gratitude to Japanese side for cooperation and defense of Ukraine’s interests in the international arena, in particular financial assistance for the implementation of the project “Support for Ukraine in culture and education through UNESCO”. It is aimed at strengthening the protection of cultural heritage in wartime.
During the meeting, the Ukraine’s Minister emphasized the importance of cooperation between Japan and Ukraine in the field of protection, preservation and restoration of Ukraine’s cultural heritage. During the full-scale invasion, more than 1,322 cultural objects have already been destroyed.
“Digitalization of cultural heritage is an undeniable priority for us today. We want to automate all processes. It is about the digitalization of our movable and immovable cultural heritage, museum funds. In order to move forward and create the National Register of Heritage, we need, among other things, server equipment to store all the information, involvement of specialists and other practical assistance,” Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, said.
The Ukraine’s Minister emphasized that Ukraine in the field of preserving cultural heritage currently needs: assistance in conservation and emergency work on damaged or destroyed objects, establishing contacts between institutions, training of Ukrainian specialists abroad, exchange of experience on issues of digitization in the field of culture and cultural heritage , support in countering illegal movement of cultural values stolen by russians, presentation of museum collections of Ukraine in the world.
“Our culture and media, despite the war, show extraordinary resilience and confidence. 70-75% of cultural figures remain in Ukraine during these difficult times. They continue to create and deserve support,” Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, said.
The Ukrainian side suggested to support Ukrainian artists through the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and grants, as well as the Ukrainian Book Institute. In addition, Ukrainians are interested in trainings, study visits, internships, networking, cultural exchanges, joint art projects, promotion of Ukrainian art, concert tours of Ukrainian artists.
In the information sphere, Ukraine suggested to strengthen cooperation in the promotion of the TV channel “FREEDOM” in Japan, to support Ukrainian media, as well as to jointly counter russian disinformation and propaganda by disseminating information about events in Ukraine on public broadcasting platforms NHK WORLD JAPAN.
As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue systemic cooperation at the state level, as well as to expand institutional cooperation.
Among the participants of the meeting from the Japanese side: Matsuda Kuninori, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine; Kotaro Tanaka, adviser on economic issues, Embassy of Japan in Ukraine; Takaaki Ujihara, First Secretary for Cultural Affairs, Embassy of Japan in Ukraine; from the Ukrainian side: Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine; Galyna Grygorenko and Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Ministers of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
