Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that his government will supply Ukraine with defense equipment, such as bulletproof vests and helmets, in what was seen as a rare move by Japan amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kishida said that defense equipment, including bulletproof vests, helmets, tents, winter clothing, food items, hygiene products, cameras, and power generators, will be sent to Ukraine by Japan’s Self Defense Forces.
The announcement was made after the National Security Council’s meeting on Friday.
This is an uncommon move for Japan, as the country had long banned the export of defense equipment. The ban was overturned by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014, who allowed exports in cases that contribute to global peace and serve Japan’s security interests.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that the decision was made at the request of Ukraine and is in accordance with Japan’s war-renouncing Constitution, adding that Japan will not provide weapons to Ukraine.
“As a nation that experienced the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident [in 2011], Japan condemns [Russia’s invasion of Ukraine] in the strongest possible terms,” Kishida said.
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the State Department on Feb. 26 to deploy $350 million worth of weapons to Ukraine, including Javelin anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft systems, ammunition, and body armor.
The Canadian government is sending an additional $25 million in military aid to Ukraine on Feb. 27, while the United Kingdom pledged to provide both lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine.
The United Nations has estimated that close to 700,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the invasion began nearly a week ago, in what the U.N. Refugee Agency says looks set to become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century. Around half of the refugees are currently in Poland.
