Japan’s foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, announced a collaborative project with Cambodia to share knowledge and technology on land mine removal with countries worldwide, including Ukraine. During a visit to the Cambodian Mine Action Center, established in the 1990s following the end of Cambodia’s decades-long civil war, Kamikawa highlighted Cambodia’s leadership in mine action globally. The Center tackles an estimated 4 million to 6 million landmines and unexploded ordnance left from the war.
Kamikawa noted Japan’s consistent support for Cambodia’s mine removal efforts since the civil war. Cambodian deminers are renowned for their expertise, with thousands deployed to Africa and the Middle East under the United Nations auspices in the past decade. In 2022, Cambodia began training Ukrainian deminers, responding to Ukraine’s substantial landmine problem stemming from the ongoing Russian invasion.
The Japan Cambodia Landmine Initiative will provide comprehensive assistance to humanitarian mine action in Ukraine. Next week, Japan will deliver a large demining machine to Ukraine, followed by training for Ukrainian personnel on its operation in Cambodia next month. The NGO Landmine Monitor’s 2022 report listed both Cambodia and Ukraine among nine countries with ‘massive’ mine contamination, signifying more than 100 square kilometers of uncleared fields.
Cambodia’s training of Ukrainian deminers, both in Poland and Cambodia, followed former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a departure from Cambodia’s usual alignment with Russia and China. This stance led Cambodia to co-sponsor a United Nations resolution condemning the invasion alongside nearly 100 other member states. Several nations, including the United States and Germany, have already provided demining assistance to Ukraine.
Kamikawa also engaged in talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, Hun Sen, who stepped down last year after 38 years in power. Following her Cambodia visit, Kamikawa will travel to the Philippines for discussions with their counterparts. These talks aim to solidify a mutual defense pact enabling each country to deploy troops on the other’s territory.
