Japan Will Now Sell Lethal Weapons To 17 Countries For The First Time Since World War II
Japan will be able now to sell weapons to 17 countries that it has signed defense equipment and technology transfer agreements with.
Japan has loosened its decades-old ban on exporting lethal weapons, allowing the country to sell weapons to more than a dozen countries for the first time since World War II.
After Japan lost World War II in 1945, the country was forced to adopt a new constitution that strictly limited its military.
Japan was only allowed to have armed forces for self-defense, not to go to war and not to arm other countries, with a near-total ban on selling weapons abroad.
From 1967 until recently, the only weapons Japan could export were non-lethal ones, including equipment for rescue operations, surveillance and mine-clearing.
On Tuesday, April 21, Japan's prime minister Sanae Takaichi announced that her cabinet lifted the ban on exporting lethal weapons.
The move is a marked shift away from Japan’s policy of pacifism after WWII and comes during heightened tensions in the region.
"With this amendment, transfers of all defense equipment will in principle become possible," Takaichi said, adding that recipients will be limited to countries that commit to use in accordance with the UN Charter.
Japan will be able now to sell weapons to 17 countries that it has signed defense equipment and technology transfer agreements with.
Each deal must be approved by the country’s National Security Council, and the government will monitor how the weapons are managed afterward.
Japan will still not export lethal weapons to countries at war.
However, authorities said they will allow for exceptions "in special circumstances".
"These decisions came at a time when the security environment surrounding Japan is changing at an accelerating pace, and are intended to help ensure Japan’s security while further contributing to peace and stability in the region and the international community,” Japan’s chief cabinet secretary said.
Takaichi also said that there is absolutely no change in Japan’s “commitment to upholding the path and fundamental principles we have followed as a peace-loving nation for over 80 years since the war.”
China’s foreign ministry said Beijing is "seriously concerned" about Japan's "reckless militarization," adding "China will remain highly vigilant and resolutely opposed [to the move]," according to BBC.
People in Japan fear that Japan is moving away from the pacifist identity it has held since 1945, which was built precisely because of the destruction its military caused across Asia during the war.
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