Japan‘s government has officially decided to provide about $200 million in aid to tackle global food insecurity caused by the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
According to NHK, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi issued an announcement of a detailed plan approved at a cabinet meeting earlier today, in which he made it clear that the funds will help provide food for hard-hit Middle Eastern and African countries due to the decline in imports of grain from Ukraine and Russia.
Hayashi indicated that international organizations will help distribute the funds, which will support the increase of food production capacity.
Some of the funds will be used to help build storage facilities for wheat and other grains in Ukraine so that exports from the country can resume, the foreign minister said, stressing that Japan will work with the G7 and other countries in the international community to try to maintain food security in the world.
Previously, the foreign ministers said during their meeting in Germany, that the G7 made it clear that Russia’s attack on Ukraine exacerbates food insecurity, including the closure of the Black Sea and the bombing of grain silos and ports, as well as damage to the agricultural infrastructure of Ukraine.
“The ministers rejected Russia’s false narrative and misinformation about sanctions,” the ministers added, referring to Moscow’s claims that food shortages, which have caused global food prices to rise, stemmed from economic sanctions imposed by the G7 and other Western countries on Moscow.
“We agreed to express clearly that the food crisis was caused by the Russian attack on Ukraine that began in late February,” Hayashi said in remarks to reporters in Tokyo.
