May 22, 2026

Ukraine’s Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Oleksii Sobolev met with JICA Vice President Yuko Mitsui in Ukraine. The parties discussed the technological modernization of the Ukrainian economy, the integration of Japanese technologies into Ukrainian production, and “smart” demining.

The immediate focus is on the demining sector, with the experience and technologies later expected to be scaled up for use in agriculture and industry. Among other initiatives, the government is working to launch trilateral formats with Colombia and Syria, with Ukraine, supported by Japan, sharing its humanitarian demining expertise with both countries.

Cooperation with JICA also covers soil restoration, support for small-scale farmers, including women farmers, the development of clean-technology solutions, and the processing of waste generated by destruction.

Japanese-Ukrainian cooperation in demining goes beyond government-to-government contacts. In March 2026, the Ukrainian company Andromeda reached an agreement with Japan’s IOS, Inc. to develop cooperation in humanitarian demining. The main focus was on the use of Japanese high-tech pneumatic systems, as well as drones for the remote detonation of explosive devices.

IOS, Inc. has been developing DMR-series demining robots since 2017. In spring 2026, three new DMR units are planned to be deployed in Ukraine and operated by HALO Trust Ukraine.

Earlier, in October 2025, Japanese-Ukrainian cooperation in this field received international recognition. At the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC) in Tokyo, Japan publicly announced a shift from financial assistance toward systematic technological cooperation: from grants to joint R&D projects, localization of component production in Ukraine, and training programs for Ukrainian deminers.

As noted by Mykola Zentsev, founder of Andromeda-Group and a retired Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the scale of mine contamination in Ukraine is so extensive that the involvement of private companies is indispensable. UMAC 2025 officially recognized this reality, marking a paradigm shift: private operators are no longer merely contractors but are becoming full-fledged participants in the international humanitarian demining system.

According to estimates, approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukraine are contaminated by mines — one of the largest problems of its kind in the world.

Ukraine and Japan expand cooperation in demining and technology