Japan and Finland sign a pact to transfer defence equipment and develop weapons together

Japan and Finland have signed an agreement that sets the legal ground rules for transferring defence equipment and technology between the two countries. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen signed the pact on Monday, 26 October, at a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry building in Tokyo, according to the Jiji Press news agency. The Finnish Ministry of Defence announced the signing the same day, Nordic Defence Sector reported.

According to Jiji, the pact creates a legal framework for moving defence equipment and technology between Japan and Finland, and for controlling any transfer to third countries or any use beyond the purpose originally agreed. Nordic Defence Sector, citing the Finnish ministry, said the agreement lays down principles for transferring defence materiel and technology, makes joint research, development and production projects between the two countries possible, and places a joint committee in charge of coordinating that work.

Hakkanen presented the deal mainly as an opening for industry. He said it creates significant growth opportunities for Finnish defence and technology companies, according to the Nordic Defence Sector report. He also argued that the international security environment requires democracies to cooperate ever more closely on defence industry and technology, and he described Japan as an important partner for Finland.

The agreement had been in the works for more than a year. Jiji reported that the leaders of Japan and Finland agreed at a summit in June 2025 to speed up negotiations toward such a pact, and Nordic Defence Sector said the commitment appeared in a joint statement issued at that time.

The visit also brought talks between the two defence ministers. Public broadcaster NHK reported that Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met Hakkanen on the evening of 26 October and that the two agreed to work closely and deepen defence cooperation and exchanges, on the view that security in the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific cannot be separated. Jiji reported that Motegi made the same point about the two regions in his own meeting with Hakkanen.

Tokyo was the last leg of an Asia-Pacific tour for the Finnish minister. Nordic Defence Sector reported that Hakkanen arrived in Japan from Australia, where he and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles signed a joint statement in Melbourne on 23 October to deepen defence cooperation, with materiel, industry and technology development named as the areas of greatest potential. In a speech in Canberra a day earlier, Hakkanen pointed to North Korean troops fighting for Russia, called China a key enabler of Russia's war, and warned that military support between countries that do not share democratic values poses a risk to everyone.

The agreement adds to Finland's recent defence ties in Asia. Finland and South Korea signed a memorandum on defence quality assurance in September, according to Nordic Defence Sector, which also noted that Sweden already has a similar equipment agreement with Japan and that Norway said in June it was working toward a security agreement with Tokyo. The outlet added that Japan reformed its defence export rules earlier this year.

Neither the Jiji report nor the Finnish announcement as summarised by Nordic Defence Sector named any specific weapon system, research project or company that would be covered first, and no date was given for the first meeting of the joint committee.