Japan, Finland sign defence transfer agreement

A Patria AMV XP 8×8 armoured vehicle. Japan selected the type in 2022 to replace the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Type 96 armoured personnel carriers. (Patria)

Japan and Finland have signed an agreement to co-operate on military technologies and equipment, paving the way for the countries to deepen defence trade and industrial collaboration under Tokyo's revised export rules.

Japan's Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi signed the accord with Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen in Tokyo on 26 October. Later that day, Häkkänen and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi discussed expanding equipment and technology co-operation.

According to the Japan-Finland agreement, it covers equipment and technology transfers for projects jointly determined by the governments, including research, development, and production.

The agreement establishes a joint committee to determine the technologies and equipment to be transferred. It also outlines the requirement for controls on use outside agreed purposes and onward transfers to third parties.

The signing follows several years of defence dialogue. Japan and Finland signed a memorandum on defence co-operation and exchanges in 2019, and in September 2024 they discussed developing frameworks for equipment transfers and information security. In June 2025 the countries agreed to strengthen co-operation through a joint working group on defence materiel and increase exchanges between their armed forces.

Finnish defence companies already have a strong profile in Japan.

Japan selected Patria's AMV XP 8×8 armoured vehicle in 2022 to replace the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Type 96 armoured personnel carriers. Patria and Japan Steel Works signed a manufacturing licence in 2023 that provides for technology transfer and local production. Japan Steel Works delivered the first vehicle in September 2025.