Japan will consider further support for Ukraine. A mission of the ruling party was in Kiev

Itsunori Onodera, a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party and former Japanese defense minister, emphasized that Tokyo must take into account regulations limiting arms exports. However, he announced that the Japanese government would start talks on further possibilities of supporting Ukraine.

In Japan, there are certain legal restrictions, as well as restrictions at the state policy level. However, under the leadership of Prime Minister Takaichi, we intend to initiate intra-government discussions on next steps, using this visit as a catalyst, Onodera noted.

According to him, the current visit to Ukraine is a continuation of the dialogue initiated earlier by both countries. On September 14, Eisuke Mori, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament, paid his first visit to Ukraine.

Last week, the Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, met in New York.

This time, a mission for the defense strategy of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party came to Kiev. Its representatives also met with Zelensky.

Onodera said that relations between Japan and Ukraine are becoming closer.

I feel that we are currently at a stage where the relationship of trust between Japan and Ukraine is constantly strengthening. Regarding the development of these relations in the future, we plan to hold appropriate consultations with the Japanese government based on the results of the current exchange of views, Onodera emphasized.

Ukraine needs missiles for Patriots

One of the most important topics of talks regarding military aid for Ukraine remains the strengthening of air defense. According to estimates presented by the Ukrainian side, Kiev needs at least 300 interceptor missiles for Patriot systems for the coming winter.

Volodymyr Zelensky previously said that Ukraine is trying to obtain ammunition from many countries. As he emphasized, this includes: to collect one or two missiles from each leader, in order to collect a total of about 100 missiles. At the same time, he pointed out that the United States remains the only country that could provide large-scale assistance. At the end of September, Zelensky announced that the United States had decided to provide Kiev with a license to produce Patriot missiles.

Earlier, Reuters reported that the new US military aid package for Ukraine did not include Patriot missiles. At the same time, the administration of US President Donald Trump intends to allocate the entire $400 million in aid to Ukraine, which was previously approved by Congress.