For the first time in Ukraine, five Japanese children’s books were published in Ukrainian as part of the charitable project “Japanese Books for Children of Ukraine: Humanitarian Initiative and Cultural Partnership”. Five thousand copies will be given free of charge to libraries, schools, kindergartens, hospitals and public organizations throughout the country.
The project was presented during the “Book Arsenal” festival in Kyiv. The initiative arose about two years ago after a meeting between representatives of the Japanese publishing house Shiko-Sha and the then Ukrainian ambassador to Japan, Serhiy Korsunsky. According to the project participants, the basis of cooperation was a common desire to support Ukrainian children through books.
The original editions of these works were published in Japan during the 1970s-1990s, and several generations of Japanese children grew up on them.
Funding for the translation and printing was provided by Japanese donor companies, with support from the Embassy of Ukraine in Japan and Ukraine House Japan. The parties are currently also discussing the possibility of implementing the second phase of the project and printing an additional edition of the books.
