The United States is discussing with Japan ways to increase ammunition supplies to Ukraine, the Yomiuri newspaper quoted sources as saying.
The countries are trying to work out an agreement ahead of a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden on April 10 in Washington. A key topic of the talks will be the search for ways in which Japan could help the US expand its weapons arsenal. The US fears a shortage of artillery shells and missiles due to its continued support for Ukraine, the newspaper said.
Japan, under the terms of the Constitution can not get involved in conflicts, but provides financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. According to Yomiuri, easing Tokyo’s restrictions on military exports could help the United States and European countries to supply weapons to Kyiv in the short term, and in the long term – to expand opportunities to sell them abroad.
In December, the Japanese government announced its intention to allow the sale of weapons produced under foreign license to countries of origin, in particular, the United States may receive Patriot missiles from Japan. The move increased the number of interceptors available to Washington, the newspaper said.
Tokyo and Washington are also considering expanding an agreement under which Japanese companies will regularly maintain and repair US military equipment. We are talking about ships and F-35A fighter jets. This will reduce maintenance time for the US and strengthen defense production in Japan, the publication writes.
