Baltic States Plan to Purchase Weapons from Japan

The Baltic States are looking to import weapons from Asia; Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania plan to purchase armaments from Japan. The Kyodo news agency reported this, citing a confidential letter from the three republics' defense ministers.

While the secret document specifies the types of equipment involved, details of the deal have not yet been disclosed. A window of opportunity opened for the Baltic States after Tokyo lifted its long-standing ban on arms exports.

Japan is currently actively supplying warships, as well as anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, to the global market. These are precisely the items of critical interest to Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn, which are rapidly acquiring missile systems worldwide and preparing to build what is essentially a new naval fleet.