Ukraine’s Ambassador to Japan, Serhiy Korsunskyy, who was appointed on 14 April 2020 and dismissed by presidential decree on 21 December 2024 but will remain in office until his successor is appointed, discussed the likelihood of Japan helping Ukraine with weapons during an interview with LB.ua.
He noted that Japan is already supporting the Ukrainian army with vehicles from its armed forces. Additionally, efforts are underway to secure “winterisation equipment” from Japan, which is currently under consideration.
“The new Japanese government is still focused on the budget. It is a minority government, making the process very challenging. Some parties oppose revising the Constitution and changing the principles that prohibit the transfer of weapons. Frankly, the chances of this happening now are very small. However, in the long term, it cannot be ruled out,” Korsunskyy stated.
He explained that Japan possesses a powerful industry capable of producing advanced weapons but refrains from doing so due to the economic impracticality of manufacturing solely for the domestic market. Exporting weapons would make production more viable.
This topic is gaining more attention in Japanese society, with increasing calls to enable the production and export of weapons. Such a shift would represent a fundamental change in post-war Japanese policy.
“It won’t be easy, but in my opinion, sooner or later, it will happen,” the ambassador concluded.