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Current Affairs

Ukraine sees path to Japanese arms after Tokyo eases export rules

Japan’s relaxation of its weapons-export rules opens a path for talks that could one day lead to Tokyo supplying military equipment to help Ukraine resist…

By Samantha Johnson / May 1, 2026
Japan’s relaxation of its weapons-export rules opens a path for talks that could one day lead to Tokyo supplying military equipment to help Ukraine resist Russia’s invasion, Kyiv’s ambassador to Japan said.

“This allows us to talk,” Yurii Lutovinov said in an interview at Ukraine’s embassy. “Theoretically, it’s a very big step forward.”

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s move last week to ease export rules – Japan’s latest shift away from a strict post-war pacifist stance – has sparked broad ‌interest as conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East strain Western arms production.

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While the overhaul maintains controls on exports to conflict zones, it allows exceptions that serve Tokyo’s security interests, a caveat Kyiv hopes to benefit from.

Japan has linked Ukraine’s fate to its own security as it faces China’s growing military power. With Japanese territory stretching to within 110km (70 miles) of Taiwan, Tokyo worries that any attempt by Beijing to seize the island could draw it into a conflict.

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Soon after Russia launched the war against its smaller neighbour in 2022, Japan’s then-prime minister, Fumio Kishida, warned that “Ukraine today could be East Asia tomorrow”. He approved Japan’s biggest ⁠military build-up since World War II, a plan Takaichi has accelerated since taking office in October.

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