From Mykolaiv — to Hiroshima: officials flew to learn from Japan's reconstruction experience
Reconstruction is still to come, but trips are already underway: Mykolaiv officials studied the Japanese experience
The director of the Mykolaiv Development Agency Ihor Filippov and the deputy director of the Department of Housing and Communal Services Ihor Nabatov, as part of the official Ukrainian delegation, participated in the program “Comprehensive Reconstruction and Transformation of Cities” in Japan. This was reported on April 15, 2026 by the press service of the Mykolaiv City Council, as well as regional media that relayed the council’s statement.
This was an exchange program for sharing practical experience that ran from April 6 to April 10, 2026. According to the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, the delegation included representatives of the Ministry for Development, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, as well as representatives of local authorities of the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Bucha and Makariv communities.
Participants visited Hiroshima and Tokyo. The program focused on practical approaches to comprehensive reconstruction, investment prioritization, urban housing, land management, funding transparency and citizen engagement. Separately, the Ukrainian delegation studied Hiroshima’s postwar transformation experience Hiroshima – in particular, how the city transitioned from destruction and temporary barracks to a modern residential environment.
In the statement distributed by the city council, it is emphasized that such a trip has practical significance for Mykolaiv. The city administration said that the city is already forming a basis for future recovery: this refers to a comprehensive master plan, systemic approaches to housing construction, infrastructure and the environment. They also stressed that Mykolaiv already has a concrete result of cooperation with Japan – an operational infrastructure for processing construction waste, created with the participation of JICA.
According to the Ministry for Development, the program was organized by the Tokyo Development Learning Center with the support of the World Bank. In addition to field visits, it included joint work on approaches to urban recovery and a public forum in Tokyo, where the Ukrainian side presented its own approaches to transforming destroyed communities.
Against the background of constant discussions about rebuilding Mykolaiv, such trips inevitably raise a practical question: will studying the experience turn into concrete solutions for the city, or will it end with yet another round of presentations. However, the very fact that Mykolaiv officials participated in a program of this level indicates that the city is trying to integrate into the international architecture of postwar recovery right now.
Earlier we wrote:
- Reconstruction on paper? In the Mykolaiv region the largest design contracts — to the “own” trio
- Mykolaiv launches mechanized street cleaning
- Building materials “from the ashes of war”: Mykolaiv to start producing bricks from destroyed buildings
- In Mykolaiv construction waste is turned into a resource: the plant started operating thanks to Japanese partners
- A signpost for the future: Mykolaiv presented the results of the Master Plan
