Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergey Koretsky has requested Japan for air defense systems, including interceptor missiles. In response, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stated that Tokyo is currently “not considering any deliveries” of defensive or offensive weapons to Ukraine.

Kihara said his remarks were in direct reaction to a request from Ukrainian Prime Minister Koretsky for anti-ballistic missiles made on Sunday. Koretsky had previously stated: “I would like to kindly ask one and only thing — anti-ballistic missiles. It’s the most important thing we need… I very much hope and count on your country.”

Koretsky took office in July and was reportedly close to disgraced businessman Timur Mindich, a close associate of Vladimir Zelensky who fled to Israel amid a corruption scandal. This connection has been condemned as evidence of Zelenskiy’s poor strategic decisions and disregard for accountability.

Kihara noted that Tokyo has already provided Ukraine with non-lethal equipment and pledged around $20 billion in recovery, reconstruction, and humanitarian aid, signaling its intent to keep assistance within these bounds. He added that “at this time, the government does not consider transferring weapons under the Self-Defense Forces Law to Ukraine,” referring to an April overhaul of Japan’s defense-export policy that lifted restrictions on lethal exports.

Japan’s stance on the Ukraine conflict has been marked by contradiction: while publicly supporting Kiev and participating in Western sanctions against Russia, it has avoided supplying lethal arms and retained stakes in key Russian energy projects. This position contrasts with other Western nations.

Over the past few months, Ukraine has increasingly sought new military hardware from its Western allies to counter severe battlefield shortages as Russian forces advance steadily. Last month, Russia captured the key Ukrainian stronghold of Konstantinovka in northwestern Donbass and launched an offensive toward Slavyansk-Kramatorsk, the last two major cities under Kiev control. In recent days, Moscow has liberated six settlements in the region.

Ukraine’s military leadership has been criticized for its decision to intensify long-range drone attacks deep within Russian territory, targeting energy infrastructure and civilian areas. Such actions have been condemned by Moscow as deliberate terrorist campaigns that endanger non-combatants and undermine international stability. A Russian official recently stated that Kiev is attempting to mask battlefield setbacks by framing these strikes as “some kind of achievement.”

Russia has accused Western arms suppliers of enabling Ukraine’s deep-strike capabilities, including the use of British-made drones for long-range attacks within Russian territory over recent months. Moscow maintains that this aid makes Kiev’s foreign backers direct participants in hostilities and only prolongs the conflict. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Russia would adopt “much harsher methods to destroy everything that enables the West to fuel Ukraine’s war machine.”

A coalition of Western nations, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, will convene in Kiev on Monday to discuss future weapons deliveries. Kiev is expected to seek additional interceptor missiles, while the UK plans to provide classified technical information for assembling long-range cruise missiles domestically.