Anhelina Moroz’s gaze was intent as she took in the exhibits during a tour of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial in Kobe. 

Along with disaster mitigation education, the museum documents the people’s struggle to rebuild the city and nearby towns following the heart-wrenching devastation inflicted by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

Afterward, the 24-year-old from Ukraine could not hold back her tears.

“Although it did not result from war, learning from how Japan has overcome numerous natural disasters will be valuable when we grapple with rebuilding,” she said.

Moroz was part of a group of Ukrainian women who visited the museum in late January.

The tour is one aspect of training programs facilitated by a coalition of Japanese language schools. Known as Japanese Supports for Ukrainian Students (JSUS), more than 40 schools from across the country have joined. 

'TOO GOOD FOR US'

Ever since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, JSUS has accepted more than 100 displaced Ukrainians in its first batch and offers free Japanese lessons as well as various assistance with settling into their host community.

The coalition’s new project has been under way since last fall and involves training a team of 10 Ukrainians to acquire knowledge and skills that will be valuable in rebuilding efforts.

Moroz is among the 10 members selected from her peers who arrived in Japan last year.

Along with taking a Japanese course at the Seifu Institute of Information Technology and Japanese Language in Osaka, she also works as a paid intern for Inte Co., which specializes in maintaining power lines in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.

Inte’s President Yoshitsugu Ienaga, 79, is eager to offer his support.

“I thought that it may help them even in a small way if Ukrainians had a chance to learn and see how Japan’s infrastructure is maintained,” he said.

Ienaga, 79, was born in the year his nation surrendered in World War II.

Angered by Russia’s invasion, he learned of JSUS during a period of donating to Ukraine’s cause while searching for a more effective way to offer aid.

Moroz studied electronic engineering at a university in Kyiv.

Ienaga plans to have her gain experience doing international market research on specialized vehicles handling electricity lines and CAD (computer-aided design), as well as in sales activities.

Ienaga said he was impressed by her competence.

“She is extremely smart and a quick learner,” he said of Moroz, but added that he does not intend to hire her as a regular employee of his company.

“She is too good for us,” said Ienaga. “She should work in Ukraine for the sake of her country.” 

SAFETY AND NEW ROOTS

According to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, an estimated 6.9 million Ukrainians remain overseas today.

It is not easy for them to return home as the fighting drags on.

Some are putting down roots in countries they took refuge, beginning new jobs. 

A recent survey by the Japan Foundation, a private organization that funds charity-based activities, including support to nearly 2,000 Ukrainians, found that almost all of the Ukrainians who fled to Japan hope to remain in their host country for at least some time. 

Of the 887 respondents, the largest demographic, at 44.4 percent, replied that they want to stay “as long as possible," followed by 27.1 percent who are planning to remain “for some time until the situation in Ukraine becomes stable.” 

Only 1.4 percent answered that they hope to return “as soon as possible,” the survey showed.

In similar polls, the share of respondents who seek to remain in Japan “as long as possible” rises as the surveys continue.

THE YEARS TO FOLLOW

Moroz said she hopes to eventually go back to Ukraine but conceded that it will be unlikely to happen for some time.

She said large numbers of Russia’s drones continue to fly over her hometown near the Russian border, putting it under constant threat of attack.

Besides, she added, living in Japan has been her longtime dream because she has loved Japanese anime since she was very young.

Among the initial group of 104 Ukrainians JSUS accepted, 25 have already started working in Japan.

Those 25 represent almost half of the individuals in that first batch, excluding other members who are pursuing higher education or continuing classes at language schools.

Most who landed jobs are in the service sector, including the hotel industry, but some were hired by information technology companies.

Mariia Bondarenko, a 22-year-old Ukrainian, has worked as a public relations staffer with JSUS since last April and now holds the role of aiding her compatriots as they ease into life abroad.

“Many Ukrainians will be anxious about their safety and job opportunities even if they return home,” she said. “It is only natural for them to want no change in an environment that they have finally adjusted to.”

Even so, Bondarenko said she is convinced that young Ukrainians’ experiences of learning and working in Japan will ultimately contribute to rebuilding their devastated but resilient country.

“Japan has economically prospered as people in older generations worked extremely hard after the war’s end to bring happiness to children and grandchildren,” said Bondarenko. “I am hoping to convey a sense of unity shared by Japanese society from that time to my fellow folks in Ukraine.”