Japan’s government provided Ukraine with various aid worth about $1.6 billion last year, Kyodo reports with reference to the data issued by the Foreign Ministry of Japan.

“Japan's ODA [Official Development Assistance] might have also increased in 2022 as the government decided to take various support measures worth around $1.6 billion in total for Ukraine, which has been fighting against Russia's invasion since February last year,” the report reads.

It is noted that Japan became the third-largest aid provider in 2021 among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"Japan's official assistance in 2021, calculated by international standards under the grant equivalent system, rose 8.4 percent from the previous year to about $17.63 billion,” the report reads.

Adding loans, Japan's official development assistance in 2021 reached $21.95 billion.

“The figure was the highest since 2013, when the Asian nation offered $22.41 billion, according to the ministry,” the agency notes.

Among the main factors that prompted the Japanese authorities to increase the amount of international aid was the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly limited sources of financing for developing countries, especially those that depend on the tourism industry, Kyodo says.