Japan will allocate $30 million for the supply of non-lethal weapons to Ukraine through the NATO trust fund.

Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida voiced this during a press conference in Kyiv.

According to Kishida, Japan will also allocate $470 million in new unilateral grant aid, which will be used to restore Ukraine’s infrastructure.

“Japan provides a wide range of assistance for Ukraine’s needs, such as demining, support in the field of television and radio broadcasting, education and strengthening of public administration, as well as protection of cultural heritage. We will continue to support Ukraine as much as Japan can,” said Kishida.

Support of Ukraine in Japanese political circles

It is known that deputy from the Liberal Democratic Party and former defense minister Itsunori Onodera last month has initiated a parliamentary faction aimed at promoting arms exports to Ukraine.

In early March, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called on lawmakers to change arms export rules. Expanded military exports “will become a key political tool to help countries that have been aggressed against international law,” Kishida said.

The government and the ruling coalition are expected to start a debate on arms exports after local elections in April.

However, in addition to legislative processes aimed at helping Ukraine, there is also an unofficial movement in Japanese political circles.

Thus, Japanese MPs from the opposition party bought 20 cars and other products necessary for the soldiers for the Ukrainian military at their own expense.

“A group of MPs of the upper house of the Japanese parliament from the opposition New Renaissance Party created a fund of $1.2 million with the cuts from their salaries, with which they purchased 20 Toyota Hilux cars and two containers of useful products for our armed forces,” said Ukrainian Ambassador Serhii Korsunsky.

Currently, Japan provides protective equipment, demining equipment and small unmanned aerial vehicles to the Ukrainian military free of charge.

In addition, the pyrotechnics of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine undergo training under the guidance of Japanese instructors in Tokyo.