TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday announced her country would sell lethal weapons abroad for the first time since World War II, a major shift from a postwar pacifist commitment during a time of heightened security concerns in the region.
Takaichi, a security hawk who wants to unshackle her nation’s defense industry, said on X that Japanese companies will now be able to sell arms to 17 countries with which Japan has signed defensive equipment and technology transfer agreements, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and several Southeast Asian nations.
The move comes as Takaichi pushes for a more aggressive defense of Japan — following in the footsteps of her political mentor, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe — and seeks to supercharge Tokyo’s deterrence capabilities in the face of a more antagonistic China and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. It also reflects Tokyo’s anxieties over the shifting geopolitical landscape and the reliability of the U.S. as a security ally.
Shortly after taking office last October, Takaichi accelerated plans for Japan to allocate 2 percent of its GDP to military spending. She wants an overhaul of Japan’s national security and defense strategies by the end of the year. She is seeking amendments to the constitution, including potentially the pacifist clause that has constrained its military and defined its national identity since World War II.
“As the security environment grows increasingly severe, no country can now ensure its own peace and security alone,” Takaichi wrote in the X post. “In the field of defense equipment as well, countries need partner nations that can support one another.”
Until now, Japan had only been allowed to export defense equipment under five categories: rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and minesweeping.
With the new guideline, exports of all types of defense equipment will be allowed, Takaichi wrote. Generally, exports to countries with active combat will not be allowed, but there may be exceptions if the Japanese government determines there are national security reasons to do so, according to the Defense Ministry.
The National Security Council must approve the weapons transfers, and the Japanese parliament will also be notified, according to the Defense Ministry.
“There will be no change whatsoever to Japan’s postwar path as a pacifist nation for over 80 years, nor to its fundamental principles,” Takaichi wrote.
In recent years, Japan has been stepping up its defense transfer agreements and broadening its security partnerships with Southeast Asia and Europe. This has particularly been the case with countries facing military threats from China.
For example, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom are jointly developing a next-generation fighter jet. Last year, Japan struck a deal to sell a new model of frigates to Australia to enable it to upgrade its aging fleet. Tokyo also plans to export a command and control system to the Philippines.
The Japanese government has been easing restrictions since 2023 to allow some of its recent agreements, including manufacturing weapons from other countries under licensing deals.
The Chinese government has taken note. On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun called the move contradictory to Japan’s identity as a peaceful nation and accused Tokyo of accelerating toward “remilitarization.”
“The international community, including China, will remain highly vigilant and firmly oppose any moves toward Japan’s ‘new militarism,’” Guo said.
Chie Tanaka in Tokyo and Huiyee Chiew in Taipei contributed to this report.
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