Finland and Japan have signed an agreement concerning the transfer of defence equipment and technology, with Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen signing for Finland during his visit to Japan and Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu signing for Japan.
Finland and Japan have signed an agreement concerning the transfer of defence equipment and technology, the Finnish Government announced on Monday. Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen signed the agreement on behalf of Finland during his visit to Japan, and Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu signed on behalf of Japan.
The agreement sets out the terms and conditions of the transfer. Cooperation under it can take the form of research, development or production projects, and a joint committee of the two countries will coordinate the cooperation.
“The agreement will open up significant growth opportunities for our defence industry and technology companies. The international security environment requires democratic countries to cooperate more closely in the development of the defence industry and technology. Japan is an important partner for Finland,” Hakkanen said.
The signing, the signatories and the terms of cooperation are all set out in the Finnish Government's release. The two countries' leaders agreed to speed up talks on the agreement in a June 2025 joint statement, according to secondary reporting of the deal, and that context is not presented here as part of the government release itself. No city for the signing is given, because the release text retrieved does not name one.
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 memorandum of understanding, Sweden already has a similar agreement with Japan, and Hakkanen came to Japan from Australia, where on 23 October he signed a joint statement on deeper defence cooperation.
The test of the agreement will be the projects it produces. A transfer framework opens the door to joint research, development and production, but the growth opportunities Hakkanen described will depend on whether Finnish and Japanese firms now bring forward work under it, coordinated through the joint committee the agreement creates.