 The Japanese fighters joining Ukraine's fight. Japanese men have begun to join Ukrainians battling the Russian invasion, defying their government's warnings and booking a decade-long national principle of passivism. Japan's military is constitutionally limited to defence and has not fought since World War II. Georgian Legion commander Mamuka Mamoulashvili told AFP the unit currently counts 8 Japanese among troops from 33 nationalists in its ranks. They are very motivated, very disciplined and easily master the training they are undergoing now, he said. While many of the foreign fighters who have flocked to Ukraine from other countries come with military and combat experience, Japan's unique constitutional constraints mean its volunteers start as absolute novices. Japan's government, like those elsewhere, has warned its citizens against travel to Ukraine. A small, determined group has ignored that advice. Last year, Japan confirmed a citizen who was reportedly a former member of the country's military had been killed in combat in Ukraine. People in Ukraine may feel encouraged just by the fact that we came here all the way from Japan. Yuya Motomura, a Japanese man who had joined Ukrainians battling the Russian invasion, said AFP from Kyiv. I am here in this country hoping to make use of myself. In that sense, I already feel fulfilled, he added.