The Ukrainian military is set to receive 100 support vehicles from Japan’s Self Defence Forces following a handover ceremony in Tokyo on Wednesday.

NATO set to open first Asian office in Japan

NATO is planning to open a liaison office in Japan, its first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region, the Nikkei Asia reported on…

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Ukraine’s ambassador to Japan, Sergiy Korsunsky, attended the ceremony at Japan’s Ministry of Defence to accept the vehicles saying that the handover of military vehicles for the first time was significant.

The handover comes after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised further support to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 summit in Hiroshima last weekend.

Kishida’s offer included the vehicles, as well as food rations and medical care for injured soldiers, a Japanese Foreign Ministry readout of the meeting, said.

NATO office in Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also said the country had no plans to become a NATO member but acknowledged the security alliance’s plan to open a liaison office in Japan.

His comments came after the Japanese ambassador to the United States said earlier this month that the U.S.-led military pact was planning a Tokyo office, the first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region.