Japan to provide Ukraine with $37 million to purchase counter-UAV systems

7 January, 2024 Shahed-136 loitering munition. Illustrative photo Japan will contribute £37 million to the NATO fund as additional assistance to Ukraine.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced this at a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Kamikawa said the funds would be used to purchase counter-UAV systems. At the end of December, Militarnyi reported that the Japan Ministry of Defense had handed over a batch of vehicles to Ukraine for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military received Mitsubishi Type 73 Kogata trucks and a Morooka PC-065B engineer tracked dump truck.

Mitsubishi Type 73 Kogata trucks from Japan for Ukraine. December 2023. Photo credits: Embassy of Japan in Ukraine

In May, the Japanese Ministry of Defense promised to provide Ukraine with 100 vehicles and 30,000 ready-to-eat food rations for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Previously, in April, Ukrainian rescuers received humanitarian aid from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In March, Japanese MPs purchased 20 cars for the Ukrainian military at their own expense. Also, in March, Japan allocated £30 million to supply non-lethal weapons to Ukraine through the NATO trust fund.

As previously reported, the Japanese government is preparing amendments to the law on the export of defense products, which will allow the transfer of some types of weapons abroad.

A soldier of the Japan Self-Defense Forces against the background of the launcher and radar of the Patriot air defense system

These changes will allow it to export several dozen Patriot missiles to the United States. The bill does not explicitly mention these systems, but it is in line with the Biden administration's request. The new missiles are to replenish the depleted US stockpile, whose government is looking for opportunities to strengthen Ukraine's air defense in the face of constant Russian missile attacks.

Japan is independently producing anti-aircraft missiles for Patriot systems, in particular, for the most modern PAC-3 systems, under license from Raytheon.