Whether Japan ready to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine: Ambassador responds

"I think I need to clarify exactly what we did regarding the supply of Patriot missiles from Japan to the US. Frankly speaking, it has nothing to do with the situation in Ukraine. It is more related to national security in the Indo-Pacific region, where Japan and the United States are located and which are responsible for security and stability," he said.

According to the ambassador, in this context, Japan decided to revise its principles and relevant guidelines concerning the transfer of defense equipment and licensed production goods, including missiles for the Patriot system back to the US, which originally granted these licenses to Tokyo.

"So if you ask me to comment on media reports, yes, from time to time, I notice discussions about whether Japan should provide military equipment to Ukraine or not. But as I have told you, when it comes to government-level discussions, this is not on the agenda," Kuninori noted.

Patriot air defense in Japan

In April 2024, Germany offered to source Patriot batteries for Ukraine worldwide. At that time, it was reported that Japan possesses 24 Patriot PAC-3 batteries. However, journalists pointed out that Japan, like other Asian countries that have this air defense system (Taiwan and South Korea), is "not in a position to disarm right now."

It should be noted that in December 2023, RBC-Ukraine reported that Japan was considering the possibility of allowing the supply of Japanese Patriot missiles to Europe and other countries. Specifically, in that same month, Tokyo lifted the ban on exporting weapons and Patriot air defense missiles to the US.