TOKYO -- Amid growing concerns that Russia may attack Ukraine, Japanese companies doing business in the Eastern European country are preparing for a potential crisis in the region by shifting supply chains and evacuating their employees.
With a population of over 40 million, Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat as well as iron ore, uranium and other minerals. Fifty-seven Japanese companies operated in Ukraine as of January, mainly around the capital city of Kyiv, according to Tokyo-based Teikoku Databank. Roughly half, or 28, are involved in automobiles and other types of manufacturing, while 16 are wholesalers.
