A Japanese Volunteer Soldier Explains, “Why I’m Fighting in the Russian Army”… A Man Who Made His Fortune as a Businessman Headed to the Front Lines

“Shutting down the company to head to the battlefield”

“The Ukrainian military’s main weapon—drones—fly over the battlefield 24 hours a day, and there were days when we worked through the night on missions to shoot them down. The sound of a reconnaissance drone flying is exactly like the buzzing of a mosquito. If you lose your concentration, you’ll spot it too late, and the bombs it drops could be fatal.Some drones are even armed with bombs capable of taking out a tank with a single hit. Once you’re on the front lines, you’re lucky if you get two or three hours of sleep a day. I don’t remember ever getting a proper night’s sleep.

There’s a chronic shortage of water on the front lines, so we can only take a shower once a month. While we’re napping, huge rats and insects crawl all over our dirty bodies. Even in such conditions, as soon as the enemy attacks, we have to grab our weapons and fight back. Because the only way to survive on the battlefield is to fight.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. On the front lines of that conflict, there is a Japanese man fighting as a volunteer soldier in the Russian military.Daisaku Kaneko (51) has published a book titled *A Japanese Soldier in the Russian Army: The Hell I Saw in the “Ahmat,” the Strongest Special Forces Unit* (Kodansha), in which he recounts his life story and experiences on the battlefield. Why did he go to the battlefield?

At the age of 28, Mr. Kaneko founded a sheet metal and painting company in his hometown of Osaka. By the time he was 35, his savings had exceeded 100 million yen. However, three years later, at the age of 38, Mr. Kaneko resolved to “close the company in five years and go to the battlefield.”

“Even though I was successful in business and lived a life of luxury, I felt no sense of fulfillment. I agonized over the question, ‘What am I living for?’ I wanted to go to a place where I could feel ‘life’ most intensely—and after careful consideration, the conclusion I reached was to ‘go to a war zone.’”

However, five years later, in 2018, Mr. Kaneko still hadn’t found a battlefield to head to. Then, as the COVID-19 pandemic began and travel abroad was restricted, Mr. Kaneko learned of a company: “Tamura Equipment Development” in Saitama Prefecture.

“Tamura Equipment is the only private military company in Japan that offers combat-style training. I was drilled in practical knowledge and skills, such as physical training under the scorching sun, marksmanship training, and first-aid courses for treating injuries.”

After completing the training curriculum at Tamura Equipment in the summer of 2020, Kaneko traveled to Thailand, which was still open to travelers at the time. While honing his skills as a shooting instructor—having been recognized for his talent by the owner of a local shooting range—Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.

“The invasion of Ukraine was in the news every day in Thailand as well, but people weren’t simply labeling Putin as ‘the villain’; Thai military officers were saying, ‘We don’t know which side is in the right.’

The main cause of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was the ‘Maidan Revolution’ of 2014. It was a coup that forced Ukrainian President Yanukovych—who was considered pro-Russian—from office, but behind the scenes was the United States, aiming to bring about a change of government in Ukraine.

After gathering information on my own, I came to the conclusion that ‘this war labels Russia as the villain, but the United States, pulling the strings behind the scenes, is the real culprit.’ I wanted to fight in the Russian military, which was being unilaterally portrayed as the villain.”

Hit by a grenade

He was reportedly prepared for the possibility that his decision might be criticized, particularly in countries like Japan. On August 15, 2023, Mr. Kaneko traveled to Russia. Relying on a former Russian Ministry of Defense official he had met on social media, he met with a senior member of the “Pyatnashka Brigade,” a militia organization composed of foreign volunteer fighters.

After his stamina had been sapped by tasks such as transporting mortar rounds and conducting all-night drone surveillance, a sudden shooting test was conducted. Upon passing it, Mr. Kaneko was informed by the commander-in-chief that he had been enlisted as a sniper. In November of that same year, Mr. Kaneko participated in an assault operation in Audiivka, eastern Ukraine.

“We were to break through the enemy’s stronghold head-on and engage in close-quarters combat. To anyone who heard about it, it was a reckless operation. Even when the commander shouted, ‘Are there any volunteers?’, the soldiers just remained silent. I had decided that I would ‘be the first to go to battlefields that everyone else would want to avoid,’ so I volunteered without hesitation.

Only ten of us, including myself, took part in the assault. As I crawled head-on toward the enemy positions, bullets and shells rained down fiercely. During this battle, I was hit by a grenade; shrapnel pierced my cheekbone and deformed my kidney.”

This assault allowed us to assess the Ukrainian military’s deployment, laying the groundwork for the subsequent capture of Audiivka. In recognition of this and other achievements, I was recruited in April 2024 as a sniper for “Akhmat Spetsnaz,” known as the “strongest special forces unit.”

“One of my missions with ‘Akhmat’ was to shoot down drones. The target was a large drone called ‘Baba Yaga,’ equipped with a night-vision camera. It carried a powerful bomb capable of incinerating an area with a 150-meter diameter, so if it positioned itself directly overhead, it would be game over.

After about two weeks of keeping watch from night into morning, a ‘Baba Yaga’ appeared, its roar—a thunderous ‘bang, bang, bang’ that reverberated in my stomach—echoing through the air (third photo). If I failed to shoot it down, I would face a merciless counterattack.Suppressing my fear, I dashed out into the open and fired four rounds at the drone’s battery. The Baba Yaga crashed, spewing flames.”

Mr. Kaneko continues to fight against the Russian military to this day. Finding himself on the side criticized by the international community, he has come to realize the reality of war anew.

“Many of my comrades who fought alongside me on the front lines used to say, ‘There is nothing to be gained from war.’ With the risk of military conflict rising around the world, I believe nothing illustrates the futility of war more than these words.”

Four years have passed since the conflict began. With no end in sight, countless precious lives continue to be lost on the battlefield.

From the August 7 & 14, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*