PREVIEW

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Masashi Nakagome delivers a speech during the presentation of the new flagship Sakura train operating on the Kyiv–Uzhhorod route, Kyiv, Ukraine, April 28, 2026. Supported by Japan, the train runs through Ukrainian cities where cherry trees bloom each spring. The project, implemented with the support of the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), features themed carriage decor with cherry blossom motifs and specially designed route displays. Passengers can access an online portal about Japanese culture, architecture, and art, as well as get familiar iwth the elements of Japanese cuisine, board games, and Ukraine-Japan cultural collaborations. The Sakura train consists of new carriages manufactured in Ukraine in 2026, the first of 100 units ordered in 2025 under an agreement between Ukrzaliznytsia and the Kryukiv Railway Car Building Plant