Investment in Ukraine – Opportunities for Japanese and EU businesses

On 25 September 2025, the EU-Japan Centre and the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Japan successfully organised a forum highlighting business opportunities in Ukraine and the potential for EU-Japan joint projects in Ukraine.
Jean-Eric Paquet, Ambassador of the European Union to Japan, the First Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in Japan, and Tetsuo Shibata, Director, JETRO Kyiv Office, opened the event, reaffirming cooperation between the EU, Japan and Ukraine. The speakers highlighted the importance of economic development in Ukraine not only for reconstruction purposes but also as a way to spur innovation.
Elena Visnar Malinovska, Head of Unit, DG ENEST, European Commission, presented EU policies and incentives supporting investment in Ukraine and the development of the Ukrainian economy. She also highlighted how Ukraine will increasingly adopt EU standards considering its status as a candidate for accession to the European Union.

Oleksandr Melnychenko, Executive Director, UkraineInvest, and Yaroslav Romanchuk, President, Association of Ukrainian Business in Poland, presented various incentives as well as business support and development tools for foreign investors in Ukraine.
Two Ukrainian regions were also represented at the event: the Sumy region, which borders Russia, and the Cherkasy region. On the one hand, Tetiana Goncharenko, Deputy of the Sumy Regional Council, explained how foreign investment can work during wartime. On the other hand, Oleksandr Turchenyak, Deputy Head, Cherkasy Regional Administration, presented opportunities for foreign companies in industrial parks and regional investment projects.
Artem Moroz, Head of Investment, Brave 1, represented the Ukrainian defence innovation cluster and presented opportunities for foreign investment in the fields of defence technology and dual-use innovation. Kohei Fujimaki & Takashi Kikuchi, Representatives of Shants Company, talked about their experience and challenges faced as a Japanese company trying to do business in Ukraine and encouraged more companies to do so.

Finally, the closing remarks were given by Kateryna Yavorska, President, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and Manuel Hubert, EU-side Managing Director, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, who highlighted the importance of EU-Japan business cooperation in Ukraine.