Japan Lifts 5-Year Restrictions on Ukrainian Poultry and Egg Imports

Japan has lifted its five years of restrictions on Ukrainian poultry meat, eggs and egg products, giving Ukrainian food producers access to the Asian market as ties between Kyiv and Tokyo continue growing closer during Russia’s war.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Japan Yurii Lutovinov announced the move in a statement on Monday, Oct. 19, after a meeting with Eiji Tanaka, deputy director-general of the Export and International Affairs Bureau at Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

The new step “opens new opportunities for Ukrainian producers and marks a significant step in developing trade and economic cooperation between our countries,” Lutovinov said, noting that he had used the meeting to thank Japanese officials personally for the decision, which was formally adopted on Friday, Oct. 16.

Further market access on the agenda

Lutovinov praised MAFF’s leadership and experts for what he described as constructive dialogue and steady cooperation with Ukraine.

Both sides would keep working to widen access for Ukrainian goods in Japan and to strengthen bilateral economic ties, he said.

However, no further information was released about when the first shipments could be expected.

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The trade decision follows a series of steps that have brought Kyiv and Tokyo significantly closer in recent months.

Japan has become among Ukraine’s leading backers in Asia, with the country’s financial and humanitarian aid exceeding $20 billion since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

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On Sept. 15, Eisuke Mori, speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives, became the first holder of the position to speak in the Ukrainian parliament’s plenary chamber. He came to the Verkhovna Rada wearing a vyshyvanka, which Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, called a “deeply personal sign of respect for Ukraine.”

At the time, President Volodymyr Zelensky described the meeting as “particularly important” due to Japan’s possible participation in the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) – a joint US-NATO mechanism that enables purchases and deliveries of American-made weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot interceptors.

On Sept. 30, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met a delegation of Japanese lawmakers in Kyiv to discuss deeper security cooperation.

Less than a month later, on Oct. 9, Japan’s Defense Ministry signed a contract to buy interceptor drones from Ukraine’s SkyFall.

Cooperation between Japan and Ukraine is also running through its fifth phase of the Emergency Recovery Programme, with a budget of roughly $38.5 million, covering water systems, infrastructure, health, maritime sector and agriculture.

In April, Ukraine received a $1.3 billion grant from Japan – the country’s second such disbursement funded by profits from frozen Russian assets under the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative.

On May 30, Japan contributed $14.7 million to NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative to fund non-lethal equipment for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Tokyo’s relations with Moscow have deteriorated sharply since Russia’s war began.

After Japan joined Western sanctions over the war, Russia suspended peace treaty negotiations allowing Japanese residents to visit the disputed Kuril islands.

On Aug. 13 Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the islands in more than 25 years in power, restarting a public feud with Japanese authorities.

Meanwhile, Zelensky signed a decree recognizing the southern Kuril Islands as Japanese territory under temporary Russian occupation in 2022.