Japan plans to purchase U.S. weapons for Ukraine under the PURL program, but only nonlethal items, NHK reports, citing anonymous NATO sources familiar with the matter
According to NHK, the Japanese government is expected to formally announce its participation in PURL soon. Tokyo has informed some NATO countries and Ukraine of its plans, but has not officially commented yet.
NHK’s sources say Japan will buy only nonlethal equipment for Ukraine, such as radar systems and body armor. It is not yet clear how much Tokyo will contribute to the program in 2026. Even nonlethal aid could be significant for Ukraine; for example, radars can more effectively detect hostile aerial targets striking Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Japan has provided extensive support to help Ukraine repel Russian aggression but does not transfer lethal weapons to the Ukrainian military. According to Olena Kondratiuk, deputy speaker of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, Tokyo will allocate $6 billion in humanitarian and technical support in 2026. In total, as of early 2026, Japan has provided more than $15 billion in financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
The PURL program was launched in the summer of 2025 after U.S. President Donald Trump declined to provide Ukraine with free military aid. Under the program, NATO countries (excluding the United States), as well as Australia and New Zealand, purchase American weapons and then transfer them to Kyiv. Before that, Ukraine compiles a list of critical U.S. weapons, military equipment, and ammunition, and coordinates it with partners in the North Atlantic Alliance.
More than 20 countries are currently taking part in purchasing U.S. weapons for Ukraine under PURL. In 2025, they allocated a total of $4.3 billion for these purposes, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
