Gregory Ishii
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ข๐น๐ฒ๐ธ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ถ๐บ ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ถ (Japanese: ็ณไบใฐใฌใดใชใฃ; Ukrainian: ะัะธะณะพััะน ะะปะตะบััะนะพะฒะธั ะัะผ ะััั; born 7 January, 2004), also known as ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐, is a multilingual traveler, researcher, and third-year student at the University of Canterbury. At the university, he is currently serving as the Secretary for Japan Society (JSoc), and is double-majoring in Japanese Language and Political Science & International Relations; his academic focus synthesises his Japanese heritage with a specialised interest in diplomacy, foreign affairs, geopolitics, and world history. In addition to his native English and Russian, he also speaks Ukrainian and conversational Japanese.
Born in Christchurch to a Japanese mother and Koryo-saram Ukrainian father, he spent the first 9 years in the country, before moving to Ukraine in 2013, during which he witnessed the Euromaidan, Revolution of Dignity, and the first Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, but remained in the country until 2017. Ishii briefly returned to Christchurch in 2017 for half a year, before moving to Japan in 2018, first in Naha, and then relocated to Osaka, where he would remain until 2023 for his international school. After graduating, Ishii returned to Christchurch, where he enrolled at the University of Canterbury since 2024, studying for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Since January 2026, Ishii serves as the JSoc secretary, utilising his multilingual and multicultural background.
In October 2025, Ishii visited the Caucasian country of Georgia, where he stayed in Tbilisi for 2 weeks to meet his father, who was working independently at the time. During that time, he privately travelled to Zemo Nikozi, a village roughly only 915 metres away from the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia, which is occupied by the Russian military and South Ossetian separatist forces since 2008. After witnessing the proximity of occupation, touching the wall of a building in Gori covered with bullet holes from the Russo-Georgian War, and drawing parallels to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, his admiration and support for Georgia intensified, as with Ukraine, one of his home countries. In Febuary 2026, Ishii toured the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) twice, 4 months after visiting Georgia.
Ishii is a strong proponent of Atlanticism and pro-Europeanism, advocating for Georgia and Ukraine's accession to the European Union and NATO. He vehemently supported the Euromaidan movement and believes that Ukraine's future lies in Europe and the West. Ishii always supported Ukrainian sovereignty over the Donbas and Crimea territories, although he initially held less confrontational views of Russia. Following the 2021 Russian military buildup and the 2022 invasion, he developed staunchly anti-Russian views, despite Russian being his other native language besides English. He vowed to cut off all ties with anyone who supports the Russian cause. However, Ishii sympathises with Russians who support Ukraine and reject Russian state narratives and occupation of Georgian and Ukrainian territories. Ishii developed strong anti-Soviet and anti-communist sentiments upon learning his grandfather and ancestors were deported to Kazakhstan under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. On East Asian affairs, Ishii supports improvement in relations between Japan and South Korea, and recognises the latter as the sole legitimate government of the Korean Peninsula. He considers North Korea an occupied territory of the Republic of Korea. On the Japan-Russia relations, Ishii firmly asserts that Russia is occupying Japanese land (Northern Territory), due to Russia's withdrawal from peace treaty negotiations with Japan in 2022.
Ishii is an avid aviation enthusiast and active traveler. He frequently documents his travels via Instagram and often prefers exploring less mainstream destinations overseas. Ishii is also a passionate football fan, with some of his favourite teams being Atlรฉtico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Dinamo Tbilisi, Dynamo Kyiv, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain. He took part in football tournaments with his school, one of them hosted in United States Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. His grandfather, Gennadiy Kim, was a speed skating coach recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).