Tokyo: About 90% of Ukrainians who have fled to Japan following the Russian aggression are not willing to return to their home country even if the war ends, a survey by the Japanese branch of YMCA showed Friday.

According to the survey conducted last month for 153 Ukrainian evacuees, only 16, or 10.5%, said they will return home immediately once a ceasefire is reached.

By contrast, 72 people, or 47.1%, said they want to settle in Japan, with some of them citing concerns over the economic situation in Ukraine and others saying that Japanese is easier for their children to understand, while 62 respondents, or 40.5%, said they will wait and see in Japan for the time being.

On Friday, the YMCA branch held a symposium in Tokyo, attended by evacuees who want to go on to higher education or find stable jobs in Japan.

A 16-year-old girl, one of the participants, attends a junior high school in Japan and plays volleyball, her favorite sport, while taking classes of a Ukrainian school online.

She said she is happy in Japan and feels like she is at home, noting that her anxiety is receding as she stays in the country.

The girl also said that entering a high school in Japan is her goal, adding that she wants to pass the entrance examination without giving up. 

JIJI Press