Japan could join NATO-led initiative to buy US weapons for Ukraine, media reports
Japan is set to join the NATO-led program to fund the purchase of weapons from the U.S. to support Ukraine, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Feb. 10, citing unnamed NATO officials.
Signed by the U.S. and NATO in July, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) agreement lays out a mechanism for NATO member states and partners to purchase high-priority equipment for Ukraine.
24 countries, including two non-NATO member states Australia and New Zealand, have so far joined the initiative.
According to the NHK report, aid that Tokyo could fund for Ukraine through the program would be limited to non-lethal provisions.
When asked by the Kyiv Independent about the news, a representative of the Japanese embassy said they are aware of the news, but denied that Japan had entered the program yet.
"Currently there’s no such common policy with NATO as in media reports at this point," they said.
Although Japan's post-World War II constitution restricts the provision of lethal military aid to foreign countries, Tokyo remains one of the top supporters of Ukraine, with around $15 billion worth of total aid (mostly financial and humanitarian) sent and another $3.5 billion committed, according to a December 2025 report by OSW.
The news comes just two days after Japan's conservative LDP party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, cemented its power in snap elections on Feb. 8.
Takaichi is known for a hard-line stance on defense and security, particularly in the face of expansionist behavior from China.
The first shipment of arms for Ukraine purchased under the PURL initiative arrived in September 2025, two months after the agreement was announced in Washington by U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
