Tokyo opens to sales to allied countries. Tensions with China
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan has approved a proposal that opens up the export of lethal weapons, including fighters and destroyers, overcoming the current restrictions on non-offensive purposes only. The decision, taken by the security commission chaired by former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, considered a hawk within the Japanese executive, will be submitted to the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi by March to review the guidelines on the “three principles” of technology transfer. Until now, exports were limited to five non-lethal categories: rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and demining. The new proposal allows the export of lethal weapons, but only to countries with which Tokyo has military cooperation agreements; a critical point for the opposition which fears indirect involvement in foreign wars; and a turning point that would call into question Japan’s very identity as a pacifist nation – a principle enshrined in Article 9 of the Constitution. The resolution responds to an “increasingly tense” security environment, as underlined by conservative Prime Minister Takaichi, and to pressure from Beijing. Faced with new Chinese restrictions on exports to 20 Japanese companies, the LDP leaders have called for countermeasures and a reduction in strategic dependence, arguing the need to support the national defense industry without giving in to external pressure.
