“I am worth nothing in Japan”: Yuya Motomura, manager of a mah-jong room feeling despised by Japanese society, had always dreamed of proving his worth. Like a few other Japanese, he went to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.
Many of the foreign volunteers who have joined the Ukrainian forces since last year are former soldiers from their countries of origin, seasoned in combat.
But the Japanese are blues on the matter: the Japanese army, which the country’s pacifist Constitution confines to an exclusively defensive role, has not participated in a conflict since the end of the Second World War.
And Tokyo, like the authorities of other countries, has strongly advised its nationals against traveling to Ukraine since the beginning of hostilities.
Despite these obstacles, Mr. Motomura, 45, immediately wanted to fight for Ukraine, impressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s willingness to resist at all costs from the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
“I’ve always felt like I’m more socially conscious than other people think. By fighting for Ukraine, I will be able to prove it in ways other than words,” he told AFP. AFP in April, shortly before leaving to commit to Kiev.
He went there for the first time two months after the start of the Russian invasion, first to deliver supplies to refugees and evacuees.
After several stays, he was accepted into the Georgian Legion, a unit of the International Legion for the territorial defense of Ukraine which includes foreign volunteer fighters.
His integration was facilitated by another Japanese member of this unit, a former yakuza calling himself Haru-san.
The Georgian legion, which includes volunteers of 33 nationalities, currently has eight Japanese, the commander of this unit, Mamouka Mamoulashvili, told AFP.
“They are very motivated, very disciplined, and they easily integrate the training they are currently undergoing,” comments this officer interviewed by AFP.
Mr. Motomura said he received personal support from many members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, the Japanese army, a former member of which died in action in Ukraine last November, according to the Japanese government.
“I think a lot of people in this country feel frustrated” with the pacifist constitution, Motomura said.
Other Japanese followed his example, such as Kenjiro Miyamori, a former cook.
“I’m sure there are a lot of men in Ukraine who don’t want to go to the front but have to do it for their loved ones. I want to replace one of them and fight for their country,” he said. Miyamori told AFP in a video interview from Ukraine.
He also cited his divorce and separation from his three-year-old son as reasons for making the choice. “I think there are a lot of people like me.”
Mr. Motomura also admits that his motivations are partly linked to his personal situation and a chaotic childhood, marked by the dislocation of his family and his dropping out of school at the age of ten.
In Maebashi, in the department of Gunma (central Japan), he managed a mah-jong room, a Chinese board game, sleeping during the day and living apart from his two children and their mother.
“If I had money and this business was doing well, I wouldn’t leave,” he explained while preparing his luggage, which included camouflage uniforms.
“I’m worthless in Japan, but I hope to bring something back from Ukraine.”
Since arriving in Ukraine in April, Yuya Motomura and Kenjiro Miyamori have yet to be sent to the front. They remain vague about the nature of their training, contenting themselves with talking about races and other exercises.
Mr. Motomura says he does not yet know when he will be sent to the front, or even if he will one day. But he says he does not regret his decision.
The mere fact of seeing Japanese join their ranks can “encourage” the Ukrainians, he told AFP from kyiv.
“I hope to make myself useful in this country. In this sense, I already feel fulfilled”.
26/06/2023 04:52:01 – Maebashi (Japanese) (AFP) © 2023 AFP
