Japan, Lifting Ban on Exporting Lethal Arms, Stands To Emerge as One of Top Global Arms Makers

Japan is entering the global sweepstakes as a major arms exporter. The government of the right-leaning prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has lifted the longstanding ban on exporting lethal heavy weapons.“No country can now safeguard its own peace and security alone, “ Ms. Takaichi said in a social media post, according to Kyodo, the Japanese news agency. It is “necessary,” she said, “to have partners that support each other in areas including defense equipment.”The change in policy means that Japan can now export warplanes, naval vessels, and missiles, among other deadly items previously banned from sale overseas. Hitherto Japanese military exports had to be “non-lethal,” ranging from rescue equipment to search and surveillance gear to mine sweeping.The move is sure to arouse fears in the countries that Japan overran in the era of imperial conquest before and during World War II, notably China. Beijing’s Xinhua news agency reported a spokesperson expressing “serious concern.” The spokesperson cautioned that “the international community, including China, will remain highly vigilant over Japan’s recent dangerous moves in the military and security fields.”Japanese officials were anxious to head off protest both abroad and at home to what appears as a shift from the pacifism that has dominated Japanese policy since its surrender at the end of World War II.Ms. Takaichi, who has aroused communist China’s ire with her outspoken views on Chinese threats against Taiwan, wrote there is “absolutely no change in our commitment to upholding the path we have taken as a peaceful nation over the past 80 years since the end of the war, as well as our fundamental principles.”Her chief cabinet secretary, Minoru Kihara, followed up with a lengthy explanation that “these decisions are intended to ensure Japan’s security and further contribute to the peace and stability of the region and the international community amid accelerating changes in the security environment surrounding our country,” according to the Japan Times.Japan has already established itself as an arms manufacturer for its own “self-defense forces,” for which it makes everything from rifles to tanks to missiles. It is poised to vault, in a few years, from its current ranking as the world’s 18th largest arms exporter to one of the top five or six.“The background is China’s increased military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea,” said a commentary by Yuta Ogi in the Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s big national dailies. “If you become a source of arms exports to the United States and like-minded countries, you will be able to build close relationships with the exporting countries for a long time, such as weapons maintenance and software modifications.”Japanese-American relations were widely believed to have influenced Ms. Takaichi’s decision. “They had to have had America’s approval,” a Korean office manager, Jang Yongjin, tells The New York Sun. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t do it.”Japan won’t, however, sell arms to just any country that wants them. Exports will be limited to 17 countries with which Japan has agreements, beginning with America. There’s no doubt, of course, that Japan stands to profit eventually, and immensely, from the decision. Japanese arms exports last year were 18th highest in the world, dwarfed by the top five arms exporters led by America with 37 percent of the global market, followed by Russia with 20 percent of the global market. France, Germany and China rounded out the top five.Nor is there doubt that Japanese industry, having long since established itself as the world’s leading motor vehicle manufacturer, one of the top ship builders, and a leader in numerous other industrial fields, can make up the gap.Already the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ranks Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which produced the feared Japanese Zero, Japan’s main fighter plane in World War II, as the world’s 32nd largest arms exporter in 2024. Kawasaki Heavy Industries ranked 55th and Fujitsu came in at 64th. Mitsubishi Electric ranked 76th and NEC Corporation was 83rd. All stand to rise.

Japan, Lifting Ban on Exporting Lethal Arms, Stands To Emerge as One of Top Global Arms Makers

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