Japan Considers Lifting Restrictions to Send Patriot Missiles to Ukraine
Tokyo plans internal talks on Patriot missile support as Ukraine seeks more interceptors for air defense against Russian attacks.
- Former Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera announced that Tokyo plans to reopen internal government discussions on supplying Patriot air defense interceptors to Ukraine, using his current Kyiv visit as a catalyst for reassessing potential support.
- Japan faces legal and policy restrictions on weapons transfers to countries actively engaged in conflict, though Onodera noted that regular diplomatic contacts demonstrate a gradual strengthening of trust between the two nations.
- Ukraine urgently requires additional interceptors for its US-made air defense systems as Russia expands ballistic and cruise missile attacks, with Kyiv pursuing an industrial defense partnership with Mitsubishi to leverage manufacturing expertise.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York last week, following House of Representatives Speaker Eisuke Mori's September 14 visit to Ukraine and a recent defense strategy mission.
- Following the current exchange of views in Kyiv, Japanese officials plan to hold consultations within the government to determine future steps, as any exceptional weapons transfer would require comprehensive government-level consideration rather than a commercial agreement.
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Japan is considering the transfer of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, but there is an important nuance <p>Tokyo is considering the transfer to Ukraine of Patriot missiles, presumably PAC-3 CRI. To do this, Japan needs to overcome legal restrictions on export of weapons.</p>
Patriot Missiles for Ukraine? Japan Is Preparing to Reopen a Door Long Kept Shut
Japan plans to reopen internal discussions on supplying or selling weapons to Ukraine, including critically needed Patriot air defense interceptors, according to former Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera during a visit to Kyiv, RBC-Ukraine wrote on October 2.
The former Minister of Defence, and now the representative of the ruling party of Japan, Itsunori Onodera, confirmed that Kiev and Tokyo had already begun a dialogue that might turn into the transfer or sale of weapons, in particular interceptors for the Patriot system.
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