A woman from Ukraine now living in southwestern Japan is awaiting a reunion with members of her family who plan to evacuate to the country following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"My mother and other relatives will likely be able to come to Japan," said Nika Koriyama, 25, who lives in Kagoshima with her husband and a 1-year-old son. "In any case, I want them to be safe."
Born in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, Koriyama came to Japan in 2016 to study at a vocational school. She met her husband, Yuki, 32, and got married in 2020. Their son, Sachio, was born the following year.
On Feb. 24, she received a message from her 48-year-old mother who lives in Dnipro with Koriyama's 13-year-old sister, saying she had sent a birthday present for Sachio. But several hours later, Koriyama got another message saying her mother had heard "the sound of an explosion."
Her mother and sister have since evacuated to a suburb that is so far unscathed.
After the Japanese government announced its plan last Wednesday to accept Ukrainian evacuees, Koriyama immediately informed her relatives of the news.
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Her husband Yuki then contacted the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Embassy of Ukraine to ask how their relatives can evacuate to Japan.
The following day, Koriyama found out that her mother, sister and aunt would likely be able to depart Ukraine via Poland if they have the correct papers and passports. But they have to travel around 810 kilometers by car to reach the Ukrainian border.
"I will not settle until they arrive in Poland, as they could be attacked." Koriyama said, adding she felt her family's pain of leaving behind acquaintances.
Worried about the frequently changing situation, Koriyama said she has not slept well in the past week as she monitors the news, though she refrains from watching images of airstrikes as they make her feel depressed.
As a mother of a young son, Koriyama was particularly saddened by the news that a baby was born in a subway station in Kyiv during an airstrike.
"But if we endure this darkness, the future of our home country will be bright," she said.
As Yuki and Sachio have not visited Ukraine, Koriyama said she wants to take them to her home country someday. "I hope that my hometown will still be there," she said.
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