WARSAW: The Japanese government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have been providing Ukraine with land mine detectors in an effort to help the country’s reconstruction from the war with Russia.

Land mine removal is crucial for the reconstruction of Ukraine as Russia’s invasion has turned more than one-third of its territory into a danger zone where mines and unexploded bombs lie.

The Japanese-developed detector has a radar that displays the shape of objects buried underground on a monitor, which makes it easier to distinguish mines from other metals compared with conventional detectors.

On Friday, media organizations had an opportunity to see a mine clearance training program using the detector in a Warsaw suburb in Poland.

As a trainee moved the equipment from side to side over the ground, it emitted an electronic sound at a certain spot. Then, a circular iconography was displayed on the monitor.

“It may be useful also in urban areas with many pieces of scrap iron,” said Motoyuki Sato, professor emeritus at Japan’s Tohoku University who developed the device.

Japan has already provided four of them to Ukraine, and plans to provide dozens of more as early as this year.

An official at the State Emergency Service of Ukraine who participated in the training said the provision of the detector is expected to speed up the demining work.

The agency has a section specialized in land mine clearance, which sends its staff based on reports from citizens.

There are many mines in residential areas and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, another agency official said.

Unexploded bombs and shell fragments are scattered around places where combats took place in Ukraine, the official said, adding that many people have died while working on mine removal.

JIJI Press