From October 3 to 6, 2025, the Head of the East Asia Office of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine (LDLU), Mariia Makarovych, carried out an advocacy visit to Tokyo. The key purpose of the visit was to deepen mutual understanding with political and civic stakeholders, as well as to outline prospects for future cooperation in the context of the merging security theaters of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific.
During the visit the Head of the East Asia Office Makarovych met with members of the upper house of the National Diet of Japan Yoshihiko Yamada (DPFP) and Seki Hei (Nippon Ishin no Kai). In addition, she met with representatives of the Japan Institute for Libertarianis and the Ukrainian community in Japan.
The meetings were also attended by Andrii Nazarenko, a Japanese public figure of Ukrainian origin and a leading expert in Japan’s domestic and security policy.
Agenda topics:
- The formation of the autocratic union between China, Russia, and North Korea, and its threat to the security of Japan and Ukraine.
- Ways to accelerate the development of a sustainable security architecture based on democratic alliances connecting the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic.
- Sharing Ukraine’s experience in countering Russian aggression to help shape strategies for deterring autocracies in East Asia.
- Prospects for enhancing security exchanges with Japan and Taiwan.
Key observations from the visit:
- Japan faces acute concern over the growing aggressiveness of China, threats from Russia, and provocations from North Korea. These challenges are increasingly recognized as a single global crisis that transcends regional boundaries.
- Japanese partners view Ukraine’s experience of resistance as a unique resource for shaping their own security strategies and consider cooperation with Ukraine an urgent necessity.
- Japan’s political and intellectual circles are eager to hear a clear Ukrainian position on a joint response to the challenges of the “axis of evil” and on strengthening the democratic front.
The visit confirmed that cooperation between Ukraine and Japan goes far beyond bilateral relations, evolving into an element of a broader strategic ecosystem that unites the democracies of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific. The Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine will continue working on deepening institutional bridges, ensuring Ukraine’s closer integration into East Asia’s security processes.
The visit was carried out within the framework of the project “Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific: Institutional Bridges”, implemented with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
