Kyoto

A Japanese university student attended his graduation ceremony dressed as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “express solidarity” with the country.

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Wearing an olive coloured shirt and khaki pants—a symbolic attire that has become synonymous with the Ukrainian leader— the student, identified as Amiki Yomiuri, entered the campus, drawing attention from others.

Traditionally, university graduation ceremonies in Japan feature students wearing formal attire. But at Kyoto University, the students are allowed to wear whatever they want.

Notably, this was the first in-person graduation ceremony of the varsity in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"Since December, when I was growing out my beard, I was told I look like President Zelensky," Yomiuri was quoted as saying by the Japanese media.

He was also seen carrying signboards with messages of support and quotes from Zelensky's speech to US Congress in December 2022.

In the video from TV Osaka, Yomuiri said he respects Zelensky as “the real man among men.”

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“We stand for Ukraine! Justice will prevail in the end, I hope so. Glory to Ukraine,” he tweeted.

He was also spotted holding a wooden rice serving spoon, called shamoji, similar to the one presented to Zelensky by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his visit to Kyiv last week, according to DailyMail.com.

The rice paddle is a speciality of Hiroshima, where Kishida is from. and bears a prayer for victory. However, the gift was severely criticised by the opposition lawmakers who termed it as “nonsense.”

The student also agreed with the criticism that the giving a rice serving spoon to the leader of a country at war “wasn’t appropriate”.

“Nonetheless, I´m happy if the Ukrainian people were pleased and the traditional prayer behind it was conveyed,” he was quoted as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)

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