Japan, under the Programme for Emergency Recovery of Ukraine, handed over the first batch of seven units of construction equipment to the city of Irpin, and another 32 units of equipment will be received by the end of the year.

"We understand very well the need to restore Ukraine. Japan has chosen the priority area of assistance – waste management, the area of waste management. It is not enough just to dismantle the building, it is necessary to properly handle such waste and reuse what is possible. Without this stage, it is impossible to move on to the next stage of restoration," Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda said at the handover ceremony on Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction, Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov thanked the Government of Japan and representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their continued cooperation and support for Ukraine.

"Since the beginning of this year alone, Ukraine and Japan have agreed on the provision of over $600 million for recovery needs. This allows us to quickly implement priority infrastructure recovery projects. Today, the government of Ukraine and JICA are closely cooperating with representatives of government authorities, local governments, and municipal enterprises in a number of cities most affected by Russian aggression. For our part, we coordinate and ensure maximum transparency and accountability for the successful implementation of the agreements," Kubrakov said.

The Government of Japan has provided JPY 75.5 billion (approximately $572 million) in grant assistance to the Programme for Emergency Recovery in Ukraine and has also decided to provide grant assistance of $70 million to support recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

As Deputy Head of Kyiv Regional Military Administration Mykola Boiko told Interfax-Ukraine, the project in Irpin is the first pilot project in the whole country, it is planned that it will help to solve the issue of disposal of construction waste after the dismantling of buildings destroyed due to the aggression of the Russian Federation, not only in Irpin, but in other affected cities in the region.

According to him, in general, 140,000 tonnes of construction waste have already accumulated in the region after the dismantling of buildings. About 30,000 tonnes of this volume have already been processed, and 110,000 tonnes remain at 31 sites where each community takes out waste.

Boiko added that these are not final figures because at the moment about a fifth of the buildings recognized as emergency have been dismantled.

In Irpin, the dismantling is being carried out, among other things, with the help of UNDP. "Today, 238 objects have been dismantled under this programme directly with the financial assistance of the Japanese government. Also, funds from the regional budget have been provided for dismantling in Irpin, this year UAH 25 million," Boiko said.

It is planned that the dismantling works in Irpin will be completed before the end of 2023.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, Deputy General Director of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Murooka Naomichi, in addition to Kyiv region, equipment that helps to resolve issues with dismantled construction waste will soon be delivered to Kharkiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa.

According to him, the project is not limited to technical assistance only. "We want to share the Japanese urban planning experience. We have a lot of expertise in reconstruction, restoration of territories, and creation of master plans. Perhaps we will invite members of the government to Japan to see examples of our experience and decide how we can fit it into the Ukrainian context," Naomichi added.

The transferred Komatsu equipment is located at the site of Irpinmash LLC, which, according to open data, changed its activity in early March 2023 from the production of machinery and equipment for the mining industry and construction to the lease of its own and leased property.

First Deputy Mayor of the city Andriy Kravchuk did not answer the question of whether Irpin plans to stimulate the development of mechanical engineering in the community, including addressing the issues of dismantling.