Why is Japan hosting a conference for Ukraine reconstruction when it's still at war? AP explains.

abcnews.go.com:

Japan is hosting a conference for Japanese and Ukrainian officials to discuss reconstruction of Ukraine just ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, while the U.S. and other Western countries are still focusing on military aid for the b...

TOKYO — Japan is hosting a conference for Japanese and Ukrainian officials to discuss reconstruction of Ukraine just ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, while the U.S. and other Western countries are still focusing on military aid for the battlefield. Hundreds of senior officials and executives are attending the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction in Tokyo. AP explains the event, its purpose, who's attending and the projects being discussed.

WHO'S ATTENDING?

The conference is co-organized by the Japanese and Ukrainian governments, Japan’s powerful business organization Keidanren, and the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is heading his country’s delegation of more than 100 government and corporate officials. First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Minister Ruslan Strilets also were to attend.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is leading Japan's side, joined by Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Keidanren chair Masakazu Tokura, among many others. About 100 officials from Japanese companies, the majority of them startups but from also leading companies like Kawasaki Heavy Industry, farming equipment makers Yanmar Holdings and Kubota Co., and telecoms company Rakuten Symphony also are attending.

WHY NOW?

Japan hopes the conference will help build support for Ukraine as the war