Japan's Pan Pacific International, which operates a major discount store chain, said Thursday it will provide financial support and job opportunities for 100 refugee families from Ukraine.
The company, formerly known as Don Quijote Holdings, said it is still working out details such as where the families would be housed, and would consider cooperating with other companies in supporting refugees fleeing from Russia's invasion.
Japan has not specified how many refugees from Ukraine it will take in. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said earlier that the nation would prioritize aiding refugees who are family members or friends of some 1,900 Ukrainians already in Japan.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan would help an international effort to take in an estimated 700,000 people who have fled so far from what Russia has called a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
The pledge stands in contrast to Japan's historical reticence to allow in refugees, drawing criticism from human rights groups who say the nation has not kept pace with other rich nations in helping displaced persons.
Japan granted refugee status to 47 people in 2020 after receiving almost 4,000 applications, according to government data.