Japan provides Ukraine with equipment to collect war crimes evidence: Report

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan has donated advanced forensic equipment to Ukraine to assist in documenting evidence of war crimes, through a partnership with the United Nations Development Program, amid the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war, according to the Japanese broadcaster NHK on Tuesday.

The Japanese government has provided seven sets of scientific equipment to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, including a device for analyzing multiple DNA samples and a gas chromatograph to run forensic tests on substances like explosives and gunshot residues, the broadcaster said.

The ministry is planning to distribute the equipment to regions near the frontline, it added.

Japan's Ambassador to Ukraine Nakagome Masashi, expressed Tokyo’s willingness to help Ukrainian authorities utilize Japanese expertise in forensic technology. He also voiced hope that the donated equipment will support efforts to locate missing persons.

A Ukrainian forensic official said the new technology will significantly improve the speed of investigations, noting that DNA research cannot be conducted without a genetic analyzer. The official estimated that molecular genetic examinations could now be completed in half the time.

Japan remains the only country to have experienced nuclear bombing.

On Aug. 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing an estimated 140,000 people.

A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later, resulting in about 70,000 additional deaths. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, ending World War II.