Japan Mulls Using Govt Jet to Carry Ukrainian Evacuees: Hayashi

Warsaw, April 2 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Saturday his country is pursuing the possibility of letting Ukrainian evacuees in Poland wishing to come to Japan board his flight back to the Asian nation on a government plane.

"We're currently making arrangements" to bring the trip plan into reality, Hayashi, now visiting Poland as a special envoy of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, told reporters in Warsaw.

Earlier in the day, the Japanese foreign minister visited a facility in the Polish capital where Ukrainian evacuees fleeing Russia's invasion of their country are staying. "We'll offer maximum assistance to the evacuees so that they can return to the lives they had (before the war) as soon as possible," he said.

Also on Saturday, Hayashi met with representatives of international and nongovernmental organizations, including the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, to exchange opinions about the needs of Ukrainian evacuees and issues facing them. After that, he told reporters: "I was able to learn that the support offered by the Japanese government is being effectively used in assisting women, children and other evacuees. The talks were very meaningful as I also got to hear about what remains to be done."

In addition, Hayashi met with officials of the Japanese Foreign Ministry who are working in Poland to assist the acceptance of Ukrainian evacuees into Japan to provide encouragement for them. He urged the officials to carefully listen to the voices of the evacuees.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]