A member of the Japanese legislature’s upper chamber, the National Diet House of Councillors, on Tuesday called for the ruling coalition to export to Ukraine Patriot interceptor missiles to protect itself against Russian long-range strikes, and to remove “bureaucratic barriers” so that the weapons might protect Ukraine’s skies and civilian population as soon as possible.
“Ukraine is desperately defending against indiscriminate missile attacks from Russia. However, it lacks enough interceptor missiles. As a result, this (the Russian strikes against Ukrainian homes and businesses) is causing many casualties,” said Councillor Shigefumi Matsuzawa during debate in Japan’s upper legislative body the House of Councillors, in its Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
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Japan’s ruling coalition is dominated by the Liberal Democratic Party (JDP) with the small Japan Innovation Party (JIP) as allies. The parties mostly share political platforms but sometimes split on issues like government reform and fiscal policy, with the JDP more conservative and cautious in its views and the JIP more supportive of domestic reform and proactive defense policy.
Matsuzawa, a JIP delegate from Kawasaki city, in the industrial Kanagawa Prefecture, where he formerly served as the Prefectural governor, made the comments during questioning of Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on national policy on arms exports and cooperation with allied states.
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“Japan has eased the rules on transferring defense equipment, making weapons exports possible. There are still several hurdles to providing Patriots to Ukraine, but they are far from insurmountable.
“President (Volodymyr) Zelensky is desperately hoping for the provision of Patriots. Now is the time for Japan to step up with visible, proactive support,” Matsuzawa said in comments published on his X news feed. “Minister Koizumi, please demonstrate leadership in proactive pacifism. Political resolve is what’s needed.”
Russian ballistic missiles flying in a difficult-to-intercept high trajectory at speeds above Mach 5 hit Ukrainian towns and cities regularly, with warheads weighing nearly a ton sometimes causing massive damage. The only weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of reliably intercepting any ballistic missile is the Raytheon-produced Patriot PAC-3.
The US from 2023-2025 sent Ukraine limited quantities of PAC-3 interceptors. The 2026 arrival in the White House of pro-Kremlin President Donald Trump drastically curtailed US sales of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, leaving Ukrainian cities mostly defenseless against Russian ballistic missiles.
President Zelensky on May 28 reiterated calls on the Trump administration to allow Ukraine to manufacture PAC-3 missiles under license, if Washington is unwilling to sell Kyiv the missiles directly.
“We strongly ask our American partners to help us allocate more PAC-3 missiles or give Ukraine licenses so that we can produce them ourselves” Zelensky said during a Stockholm press conference. “I would really like Ukraine’s production to obtain licenses to manufacture PAC-3 (Patriot missiles).”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking to reporters on May 30 in Singapore said the US was aware of Ukraine’s need and would try to help, but that American interceptor missile production is limited and that his government wants Europe to provide most of the military assistance Ukraine needs.
“”We are changing the way we produce all of these critical munitions, so our companies deliver not just a little more, but significantly more across the board.” Hegseth said. “Where we can help Ukraine, we have. Where we can enable Europe to do more, we have. We want them to be able to defend, and we’ll find a way to make sure we can help them do that.”
Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries manufactures the PAC-3 and Raytheon’s latest-model PAC-3 MSE under license. Aside from Raytheon in the United States, currently, there are no other manufacturers of PAC-3 missiles worldwide. Italy and France cooperatively manufacture an air defense system called SAMP/T that competes with Patriot but production quantities are small and because of limited industrial base unlikely to expand in years.
Koisumi in response to Matsuzawa’s call to export PAC-3 missiles now in production in Japan to Ukraine, per Japanese media reports, said his government “is not currently considering weapons transfers to Ukraine.”
In April 2026 Japan overhauled its defense-export law, widening the range of arms and military materials that might be exported, and reducing bureaucratic barriers to that export.The changes left untouched past restrictions on transfers to active conflict zones, but the revised framework made possible transfers under extraordinary circumstances.
Mastuzawa and other supporters of the PAC-3 transfers to Ukraine have argued Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles constitutes extraordinary circumstances. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi led the implementation of the defense-export law changes and in past meetings with Zelensky has stated Japan “stands with Ukraine.” In comments to parliament Koizumi said his government intends to continue helping Ukraine “by other means” than arms deliveries.
The US news platform Politico on Wednesday reported Zelensky would travel to a Group of Seven summit later in June in Évian-les-Bain in France. One source cited by Politico said that the Ukrainian leader plans to discuss war diplomacy and air defense to counter ballistic missile attacks by Russia. The G7 members are: France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan.
AloJapan.com