In Photos: Young Ukrainians living in Japan think about homeland

Daria Reshetniak, 19, works at the Ukrainian restaurant Babusya Rey in Musashino, Tokyo, on Feb. 12, 2023. Originally from Dnipro in eastern Ukraine, Reshetniak came to Japan last May and has been attending International Christian University while working part-time at the restaurant on weekends. Nicknamed "Dasha" by the owner of the restaurant and others, Reshetniak does everything from taking orders to handling the bill in fluent Japanese. She said, "I want to use the money I earn not only for my living expenses, but also to travel around Japan and learn about its culture." (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Maksym Haichenko, 18, explains about the Japanese language learning app for Ukrainian evacuees for which he creates content in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Feb. 17, 2023. While studying at a Japanese language school in Chiba Prefecture, he works three times a week at Monoxer Inc., which develops educational apps. Originally from Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, Haichenko had been studying cyber security at the National Aviation University in Kyiv. Since men aged 18 or older are not allowed to leave Ukraine in principle, he came to Japan last May at the age of 17, and in less than a year he has become a fluent speaker of Japanese. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Mariia Novytska, 25, a veterinarian who worked in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv and came to Japan last May, sings Japanese and Ukrainian songs at an event for young evacuees in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on March 18, 2023. Novytska performed "A Million Miles Away" from the Japanese anime film "Belle," which she watched in her home country. In the movie, the main character who lost her mother sings this song. Although her family is safe, Novytska said the song has an overlap with the evacuees living in Japan who are separated from their families. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Ivanna Pohulianyk, left, a student at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, has a good time with her friends at an event where young Ukrainian evacuees gathered in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on March 18, 2023. Pohulianyk came to Japan last September after Russia invaded her home country while she was studying in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Pohulianyk, 22, is living in Japan, while worrying about her parents and 14-year-old sister, who remain in their hometown of Varash in the western province of Rivne, where a nuclear power plant is located. She said she hopes to study in Japan with the aim of working in the field of international criminal law, because she believes that punishing war criminals with justice will leave a long-lasting lesson for future generations. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Oleksandra Demydenko, 21, is seen at Sophia University in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Jan. 10, 2023. Demydenko is an international student who moved to Tokyo last July to study Japanese. She is interested in Japanese history and culture, and is now involved in cultural exchange activities by visiting junior high schools and other schools in Japan. Her mother, grandmother and 13-year-old brother continue to live in their hometown of Zhytomyr in northwestern Ukraine. Demydenko said she heard that "war" was chosen as the kanji of the year for 2022, and she hopes to be a bridge between Japanese and Ukrainian communities so that this year's kanji will be related to peace. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Oleksandra Demydenko, 21, who moved to Tokyo last July, raises her hand in a class at Sophia University in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Jan. 10, 2023. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Ivanna Pohulianyk, center, a student at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, talks with her friends at an event where young Ukrainian evacuees gathered in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on March 18, 2023. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Anastasiia Savula, 23, prays for peace in front of the United Nations University in the rain in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, on Feb. 24, 2023, one year after Russia invaded her home country. Savula evacuated from the Ukraine capital city of Kyiv last June and now works as an assistant language teacher at a junior high school in Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture. Savula said she had lost friends in the war. She wiped away tears, saying that even the sky is crying and that she thinks of those who defend Ukraine. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Anastasiia Savula, 23, holds a candle and prays for peace in front of the United Nations University in the rain in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, on Feb. 24, 2023, one year after Russia invaded her home country. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Daria Reshetniak, 19, works at the Ukrainian restaurant Babusya Rey in Musashino, Tokyo, on Feb. 12, 2023. Originally from Dnipro in eastern Ukraine, she came to Japan last May and has been attending International Christian University while working part-time at the restaurant on weekends. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Maksym Haichenko, 18, center, enjoys playing a board game with employees of Monoxer Inc., a company where he works part-time and develops educational apps, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Feb. 21, 2023. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Mariia Novytska, 25, who came to Japan last May, sings Japanese and Ukrainian songs at an event for young evacuees in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on March 18, 2023. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)

Oleksandra Demydenko, 21, is seen in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on Dec. 29, 2022. Demydenko is an international student at Sophia University who moved to Tokyo last July to study Japanese. (Mainichi/Kaho Kitayama)