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On 31 August, Finland's Patria and Japan Steel Works (JSW) signed a license agreement for manufacturing Patria AMV XP 8x8 vehicles in Japan.

The agreement enables local production in accordance with Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force’s Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (WAPC) programme. In December 2022 Patria's AMV XP 8x8 vehicle was selected by the programme to replace Japan's Type-96 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carrier vehicles that are currently in use. 

“JSW is a top-quality manufacturer locally and Patria foresees that JSW is an excellent manufacturing partner and will execute projects fully up to Patria and global standards. Together we create a strong team to manufacture and deliver the latest generation armored vehicles in Japan for years to come,“ says Janne Räkköläinen, svp of world market area at Patria. 

Japan will be the ninth user country of Patria’s AMV vehicle family. Patria has worked for the WAPC programme since 2018 and established a local subsidiary, Patria Japan Ltd., to support its activities in Japan.

Japan's Defence Ministry recently announced a record $52.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2024. According to Defense News, it has asked for $215.4 million to procure 28 AMV wheeled armored personnel carriers from Finland’s Patria,