Last week, Japan announced a historic reform of its military export regulations, the largest in decades. It lifted restrictions on arms sales abroad, opening the way to the export of warships, missiles and other weapons. This means, on the one hand, a retreat from pacifist restrictions on trade, and on the other – wider access to Japanese weapons for other countries. Ukraine sees this as an opportunity to fill in its shortcomings, while at the same time declaring its readiness to share its experience with the Japanese.
“This allows us to talk,” ambassador Yuri Lutovinov told Reuters. — Theoretically, this is a very big step forward.
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Ukraine's ambassador to Japan threatens a “domino effect”
According to the Ukrainian ambassador in Tokyo, Japan's relaxation of regulations on arms exports opens the way to talks that may lead to Japan supplying the necessary military equipment. This could increase Kiev's chances of resisting a Russian invasion.
— If Ukraine falls, it will be a huge domino effect, Lutowinov said, adding that “The Indo-Pacific and the European continent are inseparable from the point of view of our security.”
According to Reuters, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has not publicly given any signals that she would support arms exports to Ukraine, but last November she told President Volodymyr Zelensky that “Japan stands on Ukraine's side.”
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To gain access to Japanese weapons, Ukraine would have to conclude an agreement with Tokyo on the transfer of defense technology and equipment. Japan has made such agreements with 18 countries, including Germany, Australia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Lutowinov, however, said Ukraine was proceeding cautiously due to the sensitivity of defense exports in Japan.
Kiev also hopes that Japan will financially support the Ukrainian production of air defense systems, which would help it become independent from American Patriot missiles. — We have all the necessary industrial capacity for production. But we need investment. We need funds, Lutowinow said in an interview with Reuters. — Japan's technology and Ukraine's experience, if we manage to combine them, it will be a top-class product, he added.
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office have not yet responded to Reuters requests for comment.
