Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine is ready to cooperate with Japan in the field of drone technology—including joint production—by leveraging its wartime experience with invading Russian forces, according to Kyodo News on August 4.
“Now we are the leaders in the world in producing drones… We are ready to share, with Japan, our experience, and to cooperate in producing, for example, drones,” Sybiha said. He called such cooperation “mutually beneficial.”
Addressing Japan’s strict constitutional limits on arms exports, Sybiha noted that drone collaboration could cover a wide spectrum of uses, “from agricultural purposes to intelligence.”
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, Japan has aligned with other G7 nations in backing Kyiv, while maintaining tough economic sanctions on Moscow.
However, Japan continues to adhere to its pacifist policies, with arms exports still under tight control—something Defense Minister Minoru Kihara has reaffirmed.
Nevertheless, Tokyo has recently begun to ease its rules slightly. Last year, Japan updated its export regulations to allow the sale of fighter jets to other countries, though not to nations currently engaged in armed conflict.
During his Tokyo visit, Sybiha participated in a forum on Japan-Ukraine reconstruction cooperation, where 29 agreements were signed across multiple sectors. He also met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
At the meeting, Iwaya reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to helping Ukraine achieve a “just and lasting peace,” while Sybiha emphasized that Russia’s aggression is “affecting the Indo-Pacific region” and said Kyiv seeks to deepen cooperation with Tokyo.
Earlier, Ukraine and Japan held talks to coordinate further steps toward enhancing bilateral security cooperation.
