Japan to trial purchase Ukrainian-made drones, former defense minister says

Japan will make a trial purchase of drones from Ukrainian defense company SkyFall, former Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said during a visit to Kyiv.

Onodera said on Thursday that the government plans to buy the drones on a trial basis and assess their performance while exploring deeper security cooperation between the two countries.

Japanese authorities reportedly view Ukrainian-made drones as highly capable due to battlefield upgrades. Japan is also considering introducing them into the Self-Defense Forces, according to Japanese media.

Onodera met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss bilateral defense cooperation. His delegation also visited Ukrainian companies producing interceptor drones and electronic warfare systems.

Onodera is among several Japanese politicians who have recently visited Ukraine.

Meng Mingming, an assistant researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Japan's move serves three aims. 

Japan wants to use a foreign conflict to expand its own military capabilities. Cooperation with Ukraine also gives it first-hand insight into battlefield demands, helping inform its defense industry. By backing Ukraine, Japan shows its value to Western allies and wins acceptance for moving beyond an exclusively defense-oriented policy and toward becoming a major military power.

Meng said the move breaks with Japan's long-standing policy against exporting military equipment to countries at war. He warned it could fuel an international arms race and damage Japan's image as a peaceful country.

"Militarization is ultimately a misguided path," Meng said, adding that Japan's efforts to capitalize on an external conflict to build up its domestic defense industry and develop combat capabilities would end up jeopardizing its own security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also voiced concern on Thursday over Japan's "militarization" and its efforts to form military-political blocs in the region.