Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday welcomed Cambodia's offer to help Ukraine clear land mines, as Russia's war on the Eastern European nation continues.
At a joint news conference with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after their talks in Phnom Penh, Kishida said training Ukrainian people to use land mine detectors will be a "strong message for the international community."
The training will be provided by the Cambodian Mine Action Center and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, a government-backed aid agency, according to Kishida.
Earlier this month, Hun Sen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly agreed that Cambodia will begin sending land mine removal experts to Ukraine in December at the earliest.
Cambodia, this year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, succeeded in removing many mines laid during decades of civil war in the nation, with assistance from Japan and other members of the international community.
Using its experience, Cambodia is now helping other nations by transferring mine-clearing know-how.
In September, Ukraine's military said Russia had mined around 70,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, with nations such as the United States and Germany having already begun helping with clearing operations.
Kishida, who arrived in the Cambodian capital on Saturday to take part in ASEAN-related summits, also agreed with Hun Sen to upgrade their countries' relations to a "comprehensive and strategic partnership."
As the two nations will mark the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties next year, Hun Sen highly appreciated Japanese companies' contributions to the Cambodian economy and expressed his hope to attract more investment, according to the Japanese government.