Photo: EPA
Japan plans to resume internal discussions on providing or selling weapons to Ukraine, including interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, Japanese lawmaker and former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said during a visit to Kyiv.
Onodera, a member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said the country still faces legal and policy restrictions on defense exports. However, under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the government intends to begin discussions on possible next steps, using his visit to Ukraine as a catalyst.
“Japan has certain legal restrictions as well as restrictions at the state policy level. However, under the leadership of Prime Minister Takaichi, we intend to initiate internal government discussions on future steps,” Onodera said.
He said he had already met Ukrainian officials to continue a dialogue that began earlier, including discussions during the United Nations General Assembly week in New York and after the September 14 visit by Japanese House of Representatives Speaker E. Morii.
Onodera said relations between Japan and Ukraine were continuing to strengthen and that he planned to consult with the Japanese government following the current exchange of views.
The development follows a major change in Japan’s defense-export policy. On April 21, 2026, Tokyo revised its Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology, removing longstanding restrictions on exports of completed defense equipment. The revised framework allows broader transfers but retains case-by-case screening, strict controls and Japan’s stated commitment to its pacifist principles.
Japan had maintained particularly strict limits on arms exports for decades after World War II. The 2026 revision marked a further relaxation of those rules and opened the possibility of broader international defense cooperation.
On October 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers led by Onodera in Kyiv. The sides discussed bilateral cooperation and joint projects.
The discussions do not amount to a decision to transfer Patriot interceptors or other weapons to Ukraine. Any such move would still require consideration under Japan’s revised export rules and by the Japanese government.
