Japan is increasingly looking to Ukraine's experience in its war against Russia for intelligence on military technologies to bolster its own defenses. A visit by former Japanese defense minister Itsunori Onodera to Kyiv highlights this interest amid rising regional security concerns, particularly regarding China's military power.
Japan's potential shift in defense export policy and its increased engagement with Ukraine's military experience signal a significant evolution in its post-war pacifist stance, driven by growing regional security threats. This could reshape global defense supply chains and alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan is increasingly drawing on Ukraine's experience in its war against Russia to gather intelligence on military technologies that could enhance its own defensive and offensive capabilities. This growing interest was underscored by a visit to Kyiv this week by Itsunori Onodera, a senior lawmaker from Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and former defense minister, amidst escalating regional security concerns, particularly from China's military expansion.
Ukraine's ambassador to Japan, Yurii Lutovinov, told Reuters that Japan's recent relaxation of its strict post-war weapons-export rules opens a pathway for discussions that could eventually lead to Tokyo supplying military equipment to aid Ukraine's resistance against Russia's invasion. "This allows us to talk," Lutovinov said, describing the move as "theoretically, a very big step forward."
While the revised rules maintain controls on exports to active conflict zones, they permit exceptions that align with Tokyo's security interests. Kyiv hopes to leverage this caveat. Japan has linked Ukraine's security to its own, especially in light of China's growing military power and its assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had previously warned that "Ukraine today could be East Asia tomorrow," prompting Japan's largest military buildup since World War II, a plan current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has accelerated.
Ambassador Lutovinov suggested that Japan could also assist by funding Ukraine's development of an air-defense system, reducing its dependence on increasingly scarce US-made Patriot missiles. He also indicated that Japan might contribute to NATO's Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a program that funds the purchase of US-made equipment for Ukraine, noting that participation can include non-lethal weapons. Furthermore, Japanese firms could potentially help Ukraine diversify its sources for electronics and micro-components used in drones.
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