Japan joins NATO Ukraine mission for 1st time

In a first, Japan said Friday it will deploy military personnel to a NATO mission supporting Ukraine in Germany, according to local media reports.

The Defense Ministry said four members of its Self-Defense Forces will be stationed at the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine headquarters in Wiesbaden, western Germany, beginning next Monday for one-year assignments, Kyodo News reported.

The deployment includes two members of the Ground Self-Defense Force, one from the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and one from the Air Self-Defense Force.

According to the ministry, the officers will mainly handle coordination and liaison duties linked to military support and training activities for Ukraine.

Officials stressed that the personnel will not engage in combat operations and face no direct possibility of involvement in fighting.

Tokyo said the deployment is intended to strengthen Japan’s own defense capabilities by learning from the war in Ukraine, particularly evolving forms of modern warfare observed during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The ministry also described the move as part of efforts to deepen cooperation between Japan and NATO amid increasing concerns that security challenges in Europe and the Indo-Pacific are becoming interconnected.