March 5, 2026

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Tatsumi Kotaro at a meeting of the House Budget Committee on March 4 inquired whether the Patriot surface-to-air missiles exported by the Japanese government to the United States are being deployed in the Middle East.

Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro neither confirmed nor denied this by stating, “I will refrain from answering questions asking for detailed information.”

Tatsumi then asked, “Does Japan have a mechanism for tracking where and how the missiles it provided are being used?”

DM Koizumi responded that the U.S. administration is obligated to obtain Japan’s prior consent when transferring defense equipment provided by Japan to other countries.

Tatsumi countered, “Do you really believe U.S. President Trump, who insists he is ‘not bound by international law,’ would seek Japan’s consent beforehand?”

The government in December 2023 revised the principles on the transfer of defense equipment and their operational guidelines. By November 2025, Japan exported Patriot missiles to the United States citing the need “to supplement U.S. military stocks”.

Tatsumi pointed out that it was because U.S. missile stockpiles had become depleted due to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine. He noted that the U.S. had reportedly reinforced its air defense capabilities, including the deployment of additional Patriot missiles at its bases in the Middle East in preparation for Iran’s retaliation following the February 28 U.S.-Israeli preemptive attack. He expressed concern that missiles provided by Japan might be deployed there.

In principle, Japanese law prohibits it from exporting weapons to countries involved in international conflicts. However, last month, the Liberal Democratic Party proposed an exception to this rule.

On March 4, DM Koizumi suggested in response to a Dietmember of the “Centrist Reform Alliance” that the exception would cover, for example, the following scenario:

When the United States, an ally obligated to protect Japan, becomes a country actively engaged in combat operations as part of a regional armed conflict and when equipment is needed in order to maintain the U.S. military posture in the Indo-Pacific region, Japan must offer assistance.