Two Realities: When Some Sacrifice, Others Profit

Japan: Symbolic Sacrifice for Solidarity

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has announced her intention to cut salaries for herself and her cabinet members. Not temporarily. Forever. Specifically—to retain only the base parliamentary salary, forgoing government bonuses.

What amounts are we talking about? A parliamentary salary in Japan is 1,294,000 yen (about $8,300). The Prime Minister receives a bonus of 1,152,000 yen ($7,400), ministers get 499,000 yen ($3,200). Not astronomical sums, especially for heads of state.

But this isn't about money. It's about symbolism. The government's coalition partner—the Japan Innovation Party—demands cutting civil service spending by 20% to redirect funds to regions affected by natural disasters. And the government demonstrates: we too are ready to sacrifice, not just lay off others.

In Japan, this is tradition. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, government members also cut their salaries. Private corporation bosses do this after commercial failures. It's a cultural code: those who lead must be first to bear the burden.

Ukraine: Triple the Amount—During War

Now let's switch to Ukraine. December 2024. The country is fighting Europe's largest war since World War II. The budget is in deficit, the lion's share of expenses covered by international partners. There's no money to raise the minimum wage even to the level of the actual subsistence minimum. There's no money to increase payments to military personnel, which haven't been revised since the start of the full-scale invasion.

But money was found for something else.

The Verkhovna Rada tripled its "compensation for parliamentary activities"—from one to three parliamentary salaries per month. If currently this is 60-70 thousand hryvnias, from 2026 it will be about 200 thousand hryvnias.

This is not officially a salary, so it's not formally considered income. And it's not controlled in any way. Someone might actually spend it on activities. Someone else—keep it for themselves.

The amendment was submitted by MP Oleksandra Ustinova from the "Voice" party. According to her colleagues, she "aggressively promoted this story." Only five members of the budget committee voted against. The rest decided: yes, right now, during war, when people are struggling to survive, soldiers are dying, and partners are helping close budget holes—right now is the time to triple their payments.

Culture of Service vs. Culture of Profiteering

The Japanese Prime Minister receives about $15,700 per month (with bonus). And is ready to give up half—forever. A Ukrainian MP will receive about 200,000 hryvnias in "compensation" (about $4,850 at current exchange rate) plus a salary of about 60,000 hryvnias (about $1,450)—and considers this normal during wartime.

But it's not about absolute numbers. It's about the direction of the compass needle. In one country, the needle points toward solidarity with the people. In the other—toward one's own pocket.

In Japan, this is called "showing we sacrifice together with the people." In Ukraine, it's called "compensation for parliamentary activities, which is not income and is not controlled."

Rhetoric vs. Reality

You can talk at length about European values, about fighting corruption, about serving the people. You can write beautiful strategies and pass resonant laws. But there's one simple test for the authenticity of all these words: what do you do when people are in trouble?

The Japanese answer: I sacrifice together with them, even if it's symbolic.

The Ukrainian answer: I triple my payments while people are barely surviving.

This isn't about mentality. This isn't about "Asian" or "European" culture. This is about whether those in power consider themselves part of the people or a separate caste with special privileges.

War as Opportunity

The most cynical aspect of this story is that Ukrainian parliamentarians used the war as cover. While reviewing the massive wartime budget, when attention is fixed on defense spending, they "almost imperceptibly" pushed through an amendment tripling their own payments.

For them, war became not a time of sacrifice, but a time of opportunity. Because when everyone is anxious about the country's survival, who will notice a few lines in budget tables?

They noticed. But too late. The budget is already passed.

Conclusion

These two stories—Japanese and Ukrainian—reveal the fundamental difference between two types of political culture. The first is built on the principle: those who rule, serve. The second—on the principle: those who rule, benefit.

And until Ukrainian politicians understand this difference, all talk about European integration and reforms will remain empty sounds. Because Europe is not just institutions and laws. It's primarily a culture of responsibility among those in power.

Japan understands this. Ukraine—not yet.

And the people are watching. And remembering. Who made symbolic sacrifices in hard times. And who went for their pockets.