Finland and Japan have signed an agreement on the transfer of defence equipment and technology. Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen signed it during a visit to Japan, the Finnish Ministry of Defence announced on 26 October.
— With this agreement, we open up significant growth opportunities for our defence industry and technology companies, Häkkänen said.
The agreement sets out principles for transferring defence materiel and technology. According to the ministry, it will make joint research, development and production projects between the two countries possible. A joint committee will coordinate the cooperation.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi signed for Japan. The two countries’ leaders agreed to speed up talks on the agreement in a June 2025 joint statement.
— The international security environment requires democracies to cooperate ever more closely in developing the defence industry and defence technology. Japan is an important partner for Finland, Häkkänen added.
The agreement adds to a string of recent Finnish defence agreements in Asia and the Pacific. In September, Finland and South Korea signed a defence quality assurance MoU, as previously reported by NDS. Häkkänen came to Japan from Australia. There, on 23 October, he signed a joint statement on deeper defence cooperation.
Elsewhere in the Nordics, Sweden already has a similar agreement with Japan. In June, Norway said it was working towards a security agreement with Japan. Japan reformed its defence export rules earlier this year.