Press Releases
Ukraine Mine Action Conference 2025 Opening Session (Summary)
October 22, 2025
On October 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:55 a.m., the opening session of the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC 2025) was held at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, attended by Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. The overview is as follows:
- In his opening speech, Minister MOTEGI stated that in Ukraine, landmines continue to endanger civilian lives and hinder recovery and reconstruction, casting a dark shadow over the country's future. He emphasized that leading international discussions for enhancing mine action is major mission and the responsibility of Japan as we have long been supporting, through public-private partnerships, the recovery and reconstruction efforts of Ukraine.
- Additionally, Minister MOTEGI stated that through the "Ukraine Mine Action Support Initiative," developed as a new support package by the government of Japan, Japan will implement various essential supports for the reconstruction process, such as human capacity and capability building support, socio-economic revitalization, and medical and welfare support. He expressed the intention to strengthen cooperation with the international community and also reaffirmed its position that Japan will walk side by side with Ukraine aiming for the realization of faster, safer, and more sustainable mine action.
- Finally, Minister MOTEGI emphasized that Japan would spare no efforts in achieving the goal of supporting initiatives to ensure that everyone in Ukraine can live free from the threat of landmines in the just and lasting peace. He also expressed strong expectations that this conference will serve as an opportunity to widely convey to the international community the vital importance of mine action, recovery and reconstruction to the international community.
- In addition to the opening session, speeches were also given by H.E. Ms. Oleksii SOBOLEV, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, H.E. Mr. Gordan GRLIC RADMAN, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Mr. Kęstutis BUDRYS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, and Mr. Carl-Oskar BORIN, Sweden's Minister of Civil Defense.
