Why Japan is looking to Ukraine’s front lines to overhaul its defences
Por Maria Siow — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Japan This Week in Asia Politics Why Japan is looking to Ukraine’s front lines to overhaul its defences
A senior Japanese politician is in Kyiv to study battlefield drone tech as Tokyo seeks low-cost ways to counter rising regional threats
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Maria Siow Published: 5:00pm, 1 Oct 2026 Japan is increasingly tapping into Ukraine’s war experience against Russia as a valuable source of intelligence on military technologies that could strengthen its defensive and offensive capabilities.
A visit to Kyiv this week by senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and former Japanese defence minister Itsunori Onodera demonstrates this interest, analysts say, against the backdrop of Tokyo’s mounting regional security concerns.
Onodera arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday to meet local officials, including Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine ’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Ukraine is ready to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Japan, drawing on our experience and capabilities, and to identify areas in which our countries can strengthen each other’s security,” Sybiha said.
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