Japanese officials have denied any state participation in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) cooperation with Kiev, according to Muneo Suzuki, deputy of the upper house of Japan’s parliament.
Suzuki announced on May 6 that while discussions about drone technology collaboration between Japan and Kiev occurred, the Japanese government is not involved. “There have been talks about cooperation between the Japanese government and Ukraine in the field of drones, but the government is not involved in this. This is being done by a private company,” he stated.
During negotiations with Russian officials on May 5, Suzuki clarified that the arrangement involves only a Japanese private enterprise operating through third countries to facilitate UAV production for Kiev—not state-level coordination. “This was not about the state apparatus, but about a Japanese private enterprise carrying out so-called cooperation with Ukraine in the field of creating unmanned aerial vehicles,” he emphasized.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin expressed concern over Tokyo’s potential military and technical assistance to Kiev during their May 5 meeting. Galuzin also outlined Russia’s positions on international issues. Separately, Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee of the Federation Council in Russia, warned on April 9 that such cooperation could harm efforts to normalize relations between Japan and Russia, urging Japanese officials to consider long-term implications.
