A historic turnaround: Japan, a country with a pacifist constitution since World War II, allows the export of lethal weapons

The Prime Minister believes that this decision will allow Japan to strengthen its national defense by forming partnerships, while also boosting the arms industry to become a driver of economic growth. Japan announced on Tuesday it would relax its arms export rules that have been in place for decades, a historic change that opens the way for the sale of lethal weapons abroad by a country that has maintained a pacifist constitution since the end of World War II. This de facto abandonment of the self-imposed policy of limiting arms exports that Tokyo had imposed should fully enter the archipelago into the international defense industry market. “Thanks to this partial revision of the 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, known for her ultra-nationalist positions and in office since October 2025, had made it a marker of her policy. She argues that this evolution will allow the archipelago to strengthen its national defense while also stimulating the arms industry to become a driver of economic growth.

“Nations partners” These new rules are part of a gradual relaxation of the general export ban imposed in 1976. In the past, Japan exported ammunition and military equipment to stimulate its economy, especially during the Korean War in the 1950s, but it adopted a conditional export ban on weapons in 1967, followed by a total ban a decade later. However, over the past decades, Tokyo has made exceptions, especially when joining international arms development projects. In 2014, Japan paved the way for exports in five categories of non-lethal military products: rescue, transportation, alert, surveillance, demining. Now, Tokyo has simply abolished the five categories rule, opening the way for the export of lethal defense equipment. Proponents of this evolution recently argued that this revision should not immediately boost arms exports but will integrate the country more into the international supply chain on which it depends. This will strengthen defensive, diplomatic, and economic ties with partner nations, amid increasing regional instability due to China’s military build-up and threats from North Korea.

“Attachment to pacifism” Heigo Sato, a defense expert at Takushoku University, told AFP that Japan should take advantage of this period of peace to ensure its “combat readiness” by establishing “a system ensuring smooth exchanges of weapons and ammunition” among allies. When Ukraine called on friendly nations to provide weapons to push back against Russia’s offensive, Japan expressed sympathy but refrained from sending weapons, providing only bulletproof vests and vehicles. By making arms trade a bilateral exchange, Japan could increase its chances of receiving aid from allies in the event of an unexpected and prolonged conflict, Mr. Sato believes. However, this decision – widely anticipated – has sparked some concern within the Japanese public: critics accuse Sanae Takaichi of undermining the nation’s resolute history of pacifism since World War II. The post-war constitution limits its military capabilities to defensive measures. “Our commitment to the path and fundamental principles we have followed for over 80 years as a peaceful nation remains absolutely unchanged,” Mrs. Takaichi tried to reassure. “We will conduct rigorous case-by-case reviews, with recipients limited to countries committed to using these equipment in accordance with the United Nations Charter,” she argues. Five Japanese groups (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, and NEC) are already in the top 100 global arms and defense companies in terms of revenue, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).