Canada & Japan seal pact on defence tech transfers
Canada and Japan have signed a new bilateral agreement that sets out a legal framework for transferring defence equipment and technology between the two countries.
David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, signed an Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement with Kanji Yamanouchi, Japanese Ambassador to Canada. The agreement covers transfers of equipment, technology and Intellectual Property between the two countries.
The Department of National Defence said the framework will allow Canadian and Japanese companies to co-develop projects that involve such transfers. It also permits Japan to export defence equipment and technology to Canada. The department said this creates an additional source of supply for the Canadian Armed Forces.
The meeting also covered defence materiel and industrial cooperation. The two sides described defence industrial cooperation as an area of growth and linked it to shared strategic interests.
Industrial cooperation
Japan has negotiated similar arrangements with more than a dozen countries. They include the other members of the G7.
Japan's Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreements operate as legally binding bilateral frameworks. Japan uses them to permit exports of Japanese-origin defence equipment and technology. The agreements sit within Japan's Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology.
For Canada, the agreement sits alongside wider efforts to deepen cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific. Canada has framed the Indo-Pacific as an area of priority for its security and defence interests.
The department described Canada as a Pacific nation and said it sees a stronger set of security and defence partnerships in the region as key to its interests. It also described the agreement as a significant step in the bilateral defence relationship between Canada and Japan.
Military links
McGuinty and Yamanouchi also discussed closer military collaboration between the Canadian Armed Forces and the Japanese Self Defence Forces.
The Minister reiterated Canada's support for greater collaboration between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners. Canada cited Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea in that context.
The agreement follows a Security of Information Agreement signed by Canada and Japan in July 2025. The department said that earlier agreement opens doors for greater industrial collaboration. It said it creates opportunities in sectors such as intelligence, space and cyber.
The latest agreement expands the formal basis for industrial projects that involve controlled transfers. It also marks a further step in aligning defence industrial cooperation with the two countries' strategic relationship in the Indo-Pacific.
"Strengthening our security and defence cooperation in the Indo‐Pacific region is essential, and it remains vital that we work together to address the challenges of the future. The signing of the ETTA marks an important advancement in the Canada-Japan defence partnership, reinforcing our shared commitment to stability and collaboration, and growing industries and jobs in both countries. As Canada makes generational, long‐term investments in the Canadian Armed Forces, agreements with trusted partners like Japan are more important than ever," said The Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, National Defence.
The department said the agreement will allow companies in both countries to work more closely on projects that require transfers of equipment, technology or Intellectual Property between Canada and Japan.