Japan will provide Ukraine with more vehicles from the Self-Defense Forces, reported *Ukrinform* , citing Japanese public broadcaster NHK. This was announced after a conversation between Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov during the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, as quoted by BTA.
„The Japanese minister expressed his country's desire to continue supporting Ukraine and outlined a plan for additional delivery of transport vehicles from the Self-Defense Forces”, NHK reported.
It is not specified what kind of equipment will be provided, but according to various sources, Tokyo has already sent Kiev a hundred vehicles, including military trucks.
Nacatani condemned Russian military cooperation with China and North Korea.
For his part, Rustem Umerov congratulated the new Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on his appointment and invited him to visit Ukraine soon.
Meanwhile, the defense ministers of Japan and three other Indo-Pacific nations agreed during a meeting with their NATO counterparts in Brussels to step up cooperation. This is happening against the backdrop of China's growing military power and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Nakatani called on NATO ministers and their Australian, New Zealand and South Korean partners to expand coordinated efforts against unilateral attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion.
„The war in Ukraine has shown that instability in Europe can have serious consequences globally and that countries like Iran, China and even North Korea can become security disruptors in our own backyard,” said the general NATO Secretary Mark Rutte.
Ministers discussed joint work to support Ukraine in the field of cyber defense, military industry and innovation, as well as combating disinformation and the use of new technologies, including artificial intelligence.