Japanese men join Ukrainians battling Russian invasion | Japan's military hasn't fought since WW-II

A handful of Japanese men have joined Ukrainians battling the Russian invasion, defying their government's warnings and bucking a decades-long national principle of pacifism. Japan's military is constitutionally limited to defence and has not fought since World War II. Many of the foreign fighters who have flocked to Ukraine from other countries come with military and combat experience. However, Japan's unique constitutional constraints mean its volunteers start as absolute novices. Ukraine's embassy in Tokyo initially called for volunteers to join the fight, echoing an invitation by Zelensky for foreign support, but quickly retracted it. Japan's government, like those elsewhere, has warned its citizens against travel to Ukraine. A small determined group has ignored that advice.