WORLD NEWS: Ukraine Gets $8.7m Donation From Japanese Billionaire

Mr. Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani, who is a business baron from Japan, on this Sunday, pledged to donate the whooping amount of $8.7 million to the leadership of Ukraine following the country’s invasion by Russia last Thursday.

Mouthpiece News gathered that the donor is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of e-commerce giant, Rakuten, as told by our reporter, Mohammed Oluwatimileyin Taoheed.

Mikitani described the Russian invasion as  “a challenge to democracy,” said in a letter addressed to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the “donation of ¥1 billion ($8.7 million) will go toward humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence.”

“My thoughts are with you and the Ukraine people,” Mikitani, who said he had met with Zelensky when he visited Kyiv in 2019, wrote in his letter.

“I believe that the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.

“I sincerely hope that Russia and Ukraine can resolve this issue peacefully and that Ukraine people can have peace again as soon as possible,” he wrote.

Taohed says various individuals and organisations across the world have solicited donations to help Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has catapulted wide financial sanctions from around the world including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Japan, democracies while individuals and organizations across the world have solicited donations to help Ukraine and its people.

The Japanese government has also disclosed that sanctions on Moscow including freezing assets and banning major exports such as semiconductors to organizations related to the Russian military.