Japan Joins Ukraine’s Security Guarantees: More Than Sushi Diplomacy

The News from Tokyo

Japanese troops perform honor duties to welcome Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, to Japan’s Ministry of Defense in Tokyo, Japan, June 6, 2025. Reed visited several U.S., allied, and commercial installations in the Pacific to strengthen relationships, increasing logistics capacity and cooperation, and discuss the importance of preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. (DoD photo by Jonathan Stefanko). Public domain

Note: I feel compelled to explain “Sushi Diplomacy” from the title. This refers to the use of Japanese food, particularly sushi, as a tool of public diplomacy to promote national culture and interests abroad, a practice known as gastrodiplomacy.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made it official this week: Tokyo is prepared to join Western security guarantees for Ukraine under a potential US-brokered peace deal. Ishiba’s words were careful: Japan would “play an appropriate role,” considering “laws and capabilities.”

That’s polite Tokyo-speak for “we’re in, but we don’t want to scare Beijing or Moscow just yet.”

This move isn’t out of nowhere. Japan already signed a 10-year security pact with Ukraine in 2023, covering non-lethal aid, humanitarian assistance, and reconstruction.

Tokyo has since shipped drones, body armor, winter kits, ordnance-handling gear, and even access to SAR satellite data. And unlike some allies, Japan has been consistent.

So now, as the UK and France flirt with the idea of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, Japan is putting its chips on the table. It’s a sign that Tokyo is not just Europe’s friend in Asia, but arguably NATO’s most dependable ally outside the club.

Japan’s Track Record: Not Just Symbolic

If you think Japan’s role in Ukraine is just ceremonial, think again. Since 2022, Tokyo has quietly stepped up in ways that would put some NATO members to shame.

Humanitarian Gear

Japan hasn’t sent tanks or HIMARS, but it has delivered the kind of equipment that keeps soldiers alive and civilians functioning through the grind of war.

This includes drones for reconnaissance, protective helmets, and ordnance-handling kits for clearing unexploded munitions.

Add to that tents for displaced families, winter clothing for soldiers and civilians in freezing conditions, and medical supplies that blunt the humanitarian disaster of Russia’s missile barrages. These aren’t headline-grabbing donations, but they’re the lifeline that makes battlefield survival and recovery possible.

People-Focused Aid