TOKYO – Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Friday that the country will dispatch four Self-Defense Forces personnel to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine headquarters in Germany for the first time.

Two of the four personnel are from the Ground Self-Defense Force, with one each from the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Air Self-Defense Force, according to the Defense Ministry.

The personnel will begin their one-year duty next Monday and will not take part in combat operations.

Koizumi said the deployment would help strengthen Japan's own defense capabilities by allowing it to learn various lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, including new forms of warfare. It also marks a further deepening of cooperation between Japan and NATO.

Kyodo News reported that the Ukraine support hub is headquartered at a US military base in western Germany and has a staff of around 700. It coordinates military equipment supplies and training for Ukraine provided by members and partner countries of NATO.

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Japan's Asahi Shimbun, citing sources from the Defense Ministry, reported that the Japanese government plans to revise the country's three key security documents within the year, with responses to emerging forms of warfare expected to be a major focus.

Also on Friday, Japan's Foreign Ministry announced a contribution of about $14.7 million to NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative, marking the country's first financial support to the framework.

According to Kyodo News, the funds will cover only non-lethal equipment. Japan has previously provided equipment such as drone detection systems to Ukraine through other NATO-managed funds.