Japan has linked Ukraine’s fate to its own security as it faces China’s growing military power
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenReutersPublished: 9:40pm, 1 May 2026Japan’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.”
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.
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.
