Japanese billionaire Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani said Sunday he will donate ¥1 billion to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy.”
The founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten Group Inc. said in a letter addressed to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the donation of ¥1 billion ($8.7 million) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence.”
Mikitani said he visited Kyiv in 2019 and met with Zelenskyy.
“My thoughts are with you and Ukraine people,” Mikitani said in his letter.
“I believe that the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.
“I sincerely hope that Russia and Ukraine can resolve this issue peacefully and that Ukraine people can have peace again as soon as possible,” he wrote.
Russia’s invasion has prompted broad financial sanctions from major democracies while individuals and organizations across the world have solicited donations to help Ukraine.
The Japanese government has also announced sanctions on Moscow including freezing assets and banning key exports such as semiconductors to organizations related to the Russian military.
cepperson73 on February 27th, 2022 at 06:12 UTC »
That’s 8.6 million in usd for those who were curious
dragonfliesloveme on February 27th, 2022 at 04:45 UTC »
Well that makes a pretty big statement.
He also sent an open letter to Zelensky and mentions meeting him in Kyiv in 2019
KaleidoscopeThis9463 on February 27th, 2022 at 04:04 UTC »
Thank you to whoever donates towards any effort to help Ukraine.