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Japan pledges $37 million for anti-drone equipment for Ukraine

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Japan pledges $37 million for anti-drone equipment for Ukraine
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (L) and her Ukrainian counterpart at a joint press conference in a bomb shelter during an air raid alert on Jan. 7, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Eduard Kryzhanivskyi/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Japan promised to provide $37 million to a NATO fund for anti-drone equipment, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said at a press conference in Kyiv with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Jan. 7.

Kamikawa is in Kyiv as part of a larger visit to Europe.

Japan will host a conference promoting Ukraine's economic reconstruction on Feb. 19. Kamikawa's visit involves discussions with Ukrainian representatives on preparations for the event.

Along with the funds for anti-drone equipment, Japan will also provide five mobile gas turbine generators and seven generators to help Ukraine through the winter and likely increase in Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

Apart from meeting with Kuleba, Kamikawa also met with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is expected to travel to the event in Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced during a virtual meeting with G7 leaders in December that Japan was ready to contribute $4.5 billion in additional funds to support Ukraine's recovery efforts.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry also reported in December that it was changing its laws regarding arms exports to allow for the transfer of weapons and would send the U.S. Patriot missiles.

Japanese law still prohibits sending weapons to countries actively at war, but the move could pave the way for the U.S. to replenish its own stocks while sending Ukraine additional missiles.

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Nate Ostiller

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Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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