Japan will ease decades-old arms export rules, the government’s top spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, said on Tuesday, a policy shift that paves the way for the sale of lethal weapons overseas.
The new rules end Japan’s self-imposed curbs on the sale of lethal arms as Tokyo seeks to enter the international arms market, hoping to bolster national defence and boost economic growth.
It comes as anxiety increases over China’s escalating military activity in the region, as well as persistent security threats from North Korea and Russia.
“These decisions have been made at a time when changes in the security environment surrounding our country are occurring at an accelerating pace, and they serve to ensure Japan’s security while contributing even more to peace and stability in the region and the international community,” Kihara told a news conference.
“Today, no nation can safeguard its own peace and security by itself alone.”
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Exports had previously been limited to equipment classified under five categories: search and rescue, transportation, warning, surveillance and minesweeping.
However, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on X that “with this amendment, transfers of all defence equipment will in principle become possible”.
Proponents of the policy shift argue that the change should further integrate Tokyo in the international defence supply chain, deepening defence, diplomatic and economic ties with partner nations as regional instability grows.
But the decision has caused unease among some members of the Japanese public, with critics accusing Takaichi of eroding the proud history of the nation’s staunch pacifism.
The policy change has been approved by the Cabinet and the National Security Council, Kihara said.
Heigo Sato, an expert on defence issues and arms control at Takushoku University, said Japan must use this time of peace to ensure combat readiness by establishing “a system that ensures the smooth exchange of weapons and ammunition” between allies.
He told AFP that exports require routine maintenance, providing defence contractors with steady business while also strengthening ties with buyer nations.
By making the arms trade a two-way exchange, Japan might improve the chances of receiving help from allies in the event of an unexpected, prolonged conflict, he said.