Visiting Japan on November 19-22, Defence Policy Director of the Ministry of National Defence Vaidotas Urbelis met with Director General for International Affairs (NATO and Europe) of the Ministry of Defence of Japan Noriyuki Nakano. They agreed to continue conducting the demining training for Ukrainian military personnel and the bilateral cooperation agenda of Lithuania and Japan for 2026. The visit comes after the agreement between the Lithuanian and the Japanese Ministers of Defence early this summer to strengthen and intensify security and defence talks.
The meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Defence of Japan addressed regional security situation and bilateral cooperation agenda. It was agreed to continue the efficient practical cooperation on cyber security with bilateral military exchange to take part in Exercises Amber Mist 2026 and Cyber Congo 2026 in Lithuania and Japan. It was also settled to deploy a composite team to NATO’s Locked Shields 2026. V. Urbelis and his counterpart also discussed support to Ukraine, joint activities in strategic communication, academic exchange and defence industry. HE invited Japan to send observers to Exercises Iron Wolf 2026-I (of the Lithuanian Land Force) and Flaming Sword 2026 (of the Lithuanian Special Operations Forces).
MoD Defence Policy Director V. Urbelis expressed delight about a Lithuanian officer having joined the regional command in Japan in the beginning of November. The headquarters established in the U.S. base in Japan is in charge of overseeing implementation of the sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). “We are monitoring the increasing cooperation of the autocratic regimes in the world and our security environments become more and more intertwined,” said V. Urbelis. He underscored Lithuania’s interest to follow the processes close up as the cooperation between Russia, China and the DPRK was growing stronger.
Director General for International Affairs (NATO and Europe) of the Ministry of Defence of Japan thanked Lithuania for the support in hosting two instructors from the Japan Self-Defence Forces. The Japanese officers are currently conducting the Nordic-Lithuanian Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Initiative (NLETI) for Ukraine in troops alongside the Nordic and Lithuanian colleagues in Lithuania. “We would gladly contribute to the training for Ukrainian military personnel in Lithuania as well,” said Director General for International Affairs (NATO and Europe) of the Ministry of Defence of Japan Noriyuki Nakano.
Over the course of the visit, V. Urbelis also took part in a closed discussion with researchers of the National Institute for Defense Studies of Japan.
