Topics & Events

Ukraine's public broadcaster company - PBC can boast a long and successful cooperation with Japan, in particular, with JICA and NHK International (NHKI). In January 2022 the parties wrapped up the activities of the technical cooperation project named "Project for Capacity Development of Public Service Broadcaster of Ukraine" that started in 2017.

At final Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) that took place on January 25th 2022, Mr. Hiroyuki Sawada, Deputy Director General, Governance and Peacebuilding Department of JICA Headquarters, remarked that the project successfully complied with the set goals and expressed hope that the experience and knowledge elaborated within it will serve PBC staff in the future.

Within the framework of the project, NHKI experts made numerous trips to Ukraine, during which they conducted training sessions for PBC journalists and editors.

In particular, NHKI team shared their expertise on emergency reporting and reporting elections, also they helped PBC to create manuals for journalist that would help them to better navigate in emergency reporting. Within the project the following TV programs were produced: puppet show "Dodolyky", show "Razom" dedicated to social inclusion, show for youngsters "Sho?Yak?".

Mr. Atsushi Miyao from NHKI underlined that the Japanese experts didn't really come to teach PBC team, it was rather an opportunity to work together to find, think, and solve problems. "In that sense, PBC is our partner and friend in the world of public broadcasting", Mr. Miyao said.

Mr. Mykola Cerhnotytsky, the Chairman of PBC Board, thanked JICA and NHKI for valuable inputs and cooperation and expressed hope that the project would proceed into the next phase.

Alongside the JCC, the counterparts took part in another significant event - a handover ceremony of top-notch equipment provided by the government of Japan. The official ceremony of equipment hand-over took place on January 25, 2022 in PBC premises - so called "Pencil" building in Kyiv. With the help of support from Japan, PBC equipped 4 studios, which can be technically operated from one control room and produce HD quality materials. Ambassador of Japan, Mr. Kuninori Matsuda inaugurated the new studios together with Mr. Chernotytsky. Among other guests were representatives of JICA headquarters, JICA Ukraine office, NHKI, representatives of Contractors (Marubeni Corporation), as well as PBC staff and PBC Supervisory Board members.

Ambassador Matsuda underlined that high quality equipment is essential for producing content that is very much in demand in Ukrainian society. While JICA senior advisor Dr. Keiichi Hashimoto underlined that PBC would demonstrate its audience that it's not the old national TV company, but a brand-new public service broadcaster that is producing high quality programs and provides trustworthy information. "This new equipment would attract more viewers than before. It would give them more opportunity to get access to accurate, impartial and fair information", Dr. Hashimoto said.

PBC chairman Mr. Chenotytsky underlined that the public broadcaster highly appreciated the inputs of Japan into development of the company and expressed expectation for future cooperation with Japan in general and with JICA in particular. JICA would continue the cooperation with PBC to contribute the Ukrainian society through establishing more realizing reliable and resilient public broadcasting institution.