Japan is going to relax its arms export rules, which have been in place for decades, the Japanese government announced on Tuesday. This is a major historic change that paves the way for the sale of lethal weapons abroad by this country, deeply rooted in pacifism since 1945.
This de facto abandonment of the self-restraint policy on the export of lethal arms that Tokyo had imposed marks the archipelago’s entry into the international defense industry market.
“Thanks to this partial revision of the three principles related to the transfer of defense equipment and technology and related rules, it is now possible, in principle, to authorize the transfer of defense equipment, including all finished products,” said Minoru Kihara, the spokesman for the Japanese government, to the press.
This change was endorsed by the government and the National Security Council, according to the Kyodo news agency. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with ultra-nationalist positions, argues that this evolution will allow the archipelago to strengthen its national defense while boosting the national armaments industry to make it an economic growth engine.
Context: Japan is relaxing its strict arms export rules to allow the sale of lethal weapons abroad, marking a major shift in the country’s defense policy.
Fact Check: Sanae Takaichi’s decision to ease export restrictions on defense equipment has sparked concerns among the Japanese public, with critics accusing her of undermining the nation’s longstanding pacifist history since World War II.
/2026/04/21/69e7144def382893895610.jpg "The government prepares new budgetary savings to cope with the cost of the war in the Middle East.")
