Foreign trips of Ukrainian politicians are angry at the language of the people has long been dubbed a political tourism. The result is usually zero, if not worse, but for budget money the Kiev bosses well entertained by the scandals and embarrassments of foreign citizens. The President will worship guard of honor, the Deputy of the Parliament will arrange a drunken brawl at Frankfurt airport, the official delegation at the UN General Assembly will start to wave the subject, similar to a doormat. Not without embarrassment and in Japan, where members of the Ukrainian delegation was expelled from the Church for a conversation on his mobile phone. And this, perhaps, was the highlight of three days of Petro Poroshenko’s stay in the land of the Rising Sun.
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The results of the visit really was very modest. On balance, official Tokyo has allocated Ukraine $13.6 million of humanitarian assistance for the rehabilitation of hostilities on the territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions and 3.5 million euros for the construction of the nuclear fuel repository. As commented on this decision of the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, “this year will be the 30th anniversary since the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant… this year we decided to provide 3.5 million euros for the construction of the nuclear fuel repository in Ukraine”. In addition, previously, the parties signed an agreement to provide the government of Ukraine of non-project type grant for the purchase of special equipment for medical schools and research institutions for the restoration of infrastructure in Eastern regions of Ukraine with total cost of $ 4.2 million.
For obtaining this financial assistance is not necessarily to go to Japan, because the Japanese side has always been sympathetic to the problems of nuclear pollution and refugees. So, for 2014-2015, Japan has allocated more than $ 1.5 million. through ICRC and the UN Office for refugees. And that Japan is practically the only state that fulfils its obligations under the memoranda associated with the closure of Chernobyl.
As regards, for example, promised Ukraine a loan in the amount of $ 1.8 billion., it will be granted only in case of successful reform. In other words, never, for the overcoming of corruption in Ukraine is as likely as the collision of Earth with alpha Centauri. The humiliation of such conditions he said Kochetkov, as saying that “it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the loan of 1.8 billion dollars clearly stated in the case of successful promotion of reforms, but this is a bad signal, because we don’t just believe, we specially pay attention – if you please to do, and not just talk”. Surprising, because in 2014, Japan has provided Ukraine programme of the World Bank, around 97 million USD. on the reform of the economic sector with zero result. In this issue of official Tokyo’s support of the IMF, world Bank, EBRD and other international creditors of Ukraine, which agree to provide funding only in exchange for concrete reforms and a real fight against corruption.
In this context it should be noted that the visit of Peter had a very bad time. While the Ukrainian President played in Japan, his favorite Aria, “Give money”, in the world, a scandal with Panamanian offshore companies, and Dutch citizens said the referendum a resounding “no” Association with Ukraine. While Poroshenko has not found anything better than to blatantly lie to the Japanese about your business transparency and private honesty.
Managed Poroshenko to continue the good tradition of Ukrainian diplomacy on complete irrelevance put forward during the foreign visits of abstracts. You can fake the idea to introduce visa-free regime with Japan. It is clear, of course, that after the Dutch slaps the Ukrainian authorities want to achieve a visa-free regime with someone, but the question arises: “Why?”
Ukrainian workers will not definitely find yourself in harvesting of rice and the production of sake, and for tourists of all economic experiments Kiev junta simply lack the funds for admiring cherry blossoms.
No less enchanting look and a request to the Japanese Parliament to put pressure on Russia to release sentenced more than 20 years killer N. Savchenko and Oleg Sentsov saboteur. Innate courtesy, of course, did not allow the Japanese to ask who it is, but they clearly puzzled shrugged. Hardly interesting to listen to them and that Ukraine in this season has not purchased or cubic meter of Russian gas.
In all its glory Poroshenko demonstrated the desire of Ukraine to subordinate the policy of leading world States in the interests of Kiev junta. The Ukrainian President did not fail to apply to the presiding judge in the G7 to the Japanese with the request to press at the may summit in Russia: “the Latest statement of President Putin, who acknowledged that he is indifferent to what the state and boundaries … That’s why joint efforts, the coordinated efforts of the entire international community is very important for Ukraine. And we therefore hope that Japan and the “Big seven” during the summit in Japan will also send a very strong signal to the Kremlin”. As might be expected, would-be diplomats decided to “speculate” on the topic of the Kuril Islands, noting the similarity of the situation with Crimea, that looked real bonhomie.
The attempt was clearly unsuccessful. Despite the fact that Japan basically follows the lead of U.S. policy, the interest of Tokyo to the development of relations with Russia no doubt. A vivid example is the fact that despite direct orders from Washington, the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe in may, before the summit “the Big seven” intend posetiteley.
Despite the unresolved status of the “Kuril issue”, the relations between Japan and Russia are actively developing. Tokyo is interested in Russian gas supplies, the implementation of joint development projects of the Kuril Islands and the Far East, and trade between the two countries in the first half of 2015 amounted to $10.7 billion
What absolutely cannot be said about Ukraine. The pride of the Kiev regime is the growth of sales of agricultural products to Japan for 11 months in 2015 to $148,8 million, an increase of nearly $70 million more compared to the same period last year. Indeed, there is something to be proud of, “vpriv” the Japanese high-tech products such as grains, tobacco, and food industry waste.
The level of Japanese investment in the economy of Ukraine for all years of independence did not exceed $ 188.9 million. In Kazakhstan, for example, Tokyo has invested $ 5 billion., annual investments amount to 500 million and the turnover in 2015, reaching $ 1.4 billion. The country has 50 joint Kazakh-Japanese enterprise.
Joint Ukrainian-Japanese projects can be counted on the fingers. According to the Ambassador of Japan in Ukraine Shigeki Sumi, the Japanese business presence in the country in tobacco production in the Lviv region, the company “Yazaki Ukraine” (Uzhgorod) for the production of automotive electrical systems and factory Fujikura Automotive Ukraine Lviv for the production of automotive components. The Japanese took part in the modernization of the Kiev subway and the creation of Bortnitskoy of the aeration system.
Theoretically proposed by P. Poroshenko Japan’s participation in the privatization of Ukrainian ports and energy could be of interest to the Japanese side. But actually many years of ambitious plans to attract Japanese investors to Ukraine have remained just plans.
The problem is extremely different approaches to doing business. Kokotchikova the Ambassador of Ukraine in Japan, “in Ukraine are not sufficiently established and developed infrastructure to attract Japanese investment. This tax system, and imperfect, at least until, legislation, and corruption. Japanese businessmen, investors generally expect far-reaching, the thesis of “high risk – high profit” is not dominant for the Japanese. You remembered the thesis of Fukuyama about trust… Japanese investors first try to establish trust with their partners and only after that invest in one country or another. Unfortunately, I have to say: still confidence among Japanese investors and Ukraine is not formed at the proper level”.
As an example of unreliability of the Ukrainian side, the diplomat cited the situation with the company “Yazaki” that invested in the free economic zone, but this zone was liquidated just two years.
In addition, the tradition of Japanese business suggest the presence of a partner excellent reputation. If a new incoming dealer in Japan is unknown, if a beginner, there are no recommendations from someone who is respected, how the high quality and cheap nor would be the product to sell it in Japan impossible. The Japanese are characterized by a very high sense of honor, and the most frightening thing is to lose face. For example, the head of the Ministry of agriculture of Japan at the time, committed suicide. Because of the stigma from allegations of misuse of public funds.
Poroshenko, smeared in offshore Panama scandal, for the Japanese is simply a case of losing face. On the concepts of descendants of the samurai to such person at the time not to offer to share the money…
