US, Japan Mull Defense Cooperation That Could Help Ukraine, Yomiuri Says

Yoshiaki Nohara

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Japan and the US are discussing collaborating on military gear in a bid to provide more munitions to Ukraine and increasing ways for the Asian country to repair American warships and jet fighters, the Yomiuri newspaper said.

The allies are trying to put together an arrangement in conjunction with an April 10 summit in Washington between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Joe Biden, the Japanese daily reported Sunday, citing government sources it did not name.

A key theme for the summit will be finding ways Japan could help widen the US’s pool of armaments. American arms makers have been straining to supply weapons ranging from artillery shells to air defense systems that Washington has committed to Ukraine to fight off invading Russian forces.

Japan, which adopted a pacifist constitution after its loss in World War II, has provided Ukraine with nonlethal aid as well as assistance and loan guarantees worth billions of dollars — but not weapons. Loosening Tokyo’s restrictions on military exports could help the US and European nations send arms to Ukraine in the short term, while in the long term, it could widen the opportunities for Japan to sell arms overseas.

In December, the Japanese government announced it would allow sales of weapons produced under license back to the country of origin, and would export Patriot missiles to its sole military ally. The move increased the amount of interceptors available to the US, giving it more flexibility on how it supports Ukraine’s air defenses.

Kishida and Biden are expected to accelerate complementary relations and look at ways to strengthen the supply chain of their defense equipment, with China in mind, the Yomiuri said.

Tokyo and Washington are also considering expanding an arrangement in which Japanese companies would regularly do maintenance and repairs for US military equipment, the report said, adding the matter is expected to be on the agenda at the summit.

The US Seventh Fleet and other Navy vessels forward-deployed to Japan are among the candidates for the project, as well as F-35A fighter jets, the newspaper said. That would shorten maintenance periods for the US while it would help Tokyo strengthen its defense production and technology.

But such a move could be politically risky for Biden, especially in an election year. It could open his administration to criticism that it’s sending American jobs to Japan.