Russian in Japan Wishing for Continued Personal Interactions

Nomi, Ishikawa Pref., Feb. 18 (Jiji Press)--Vadim Bushmakin, a Russian man who has been living in Japan for 17 years, has voiced hope that exchanges between people of the two countries, now being affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will return to normal as early as possible.

The 39-year-old native of Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East is working for the municipal government of the city of Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan.

He started learning Japanese, being inspired by a family member who had a Japanese friend. After studying Japanese at his university in Russia, Bushmakin came to Japan in 2006 and attended a graduate school of Kanazawa University in Ishikawa. After completing graduate school, he was officially hired by the Nomi city government, for which he had occasionally worked as a part-time interpreter.

Currently, he is playing the role of a bridge between Japan and Russia at the Nomi International Exchange Association.

Nomi has a long history of interactions with Shelekhov in central Russia since the defunct town of Neagari, now part of Nomi, concluded a friendship pact with the Russian municipality in 1976.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]