Agreement for Abolishing Five Regulations on Exports of Defense Equipment

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party (JIP) agreed on removing restrictions on export of defense equipment, which has been categorized in five patterns, in their policy discussion on December 15th. They reached that agreement in the context of revision in the three principles on transferring defense equipment, upheld by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. However, two parties still differ on how to regulate excessive exports to foreign countries.

Former prime minister Eisaku Sato decided that Japan should refrain from exporting weapons in three cases: export to the communist countries, to the countries to which exporting weapons are prohibited by resolution of the United Nations, and to the countries at a conflict.

 

It was Sato’s nephew, former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who reformed those principles into three principles on transferring “defense equipment” in 2014, which allowed Japan to export defense equipment to foreign countries with some restrictions. Those principles assumed three cases in which exporting defense equipment were prohibited, permitted with limitation and permitted without extra-use or retransfer to the third party.

 

The five categories – rescue, transportation, vigilance, surveillance and minesweeping – were set as the cases, in which exporting defense equipment would be permitted, at the time the three principles were set in 2014. Takaichi has been hoping to abolish those five categories to promote exports of Japanese manufactural corporations, based on her agenda to build a “strong economy” of Japan.

 

In the meeting of experts on security policies by the LDP and JIP, they shared the notion that they would make a proposal to Takaichi government to abolish the five restrictive categories by February 2026. While the LDP is still careful in unleashing exports of defense equipment, based on past discussion with former coalition partner, Komeito, JIP is positive in deregulating transferring defense equipment. JIP demands to remove all the examples to be permitted for exporting in the three principles.

 

One point for the discussion is whether Japan can export defense equipment to a country in a conflict, such as current Ukraine. JIP argues that the export to such a country should be decided according to actual situation of the case. The LDP requires stricter regulations, including endorsement of a cabinet on exporting highly lethal weapons or limitation on the destination of exported equipment.

 

Japan has been promoting development of defense equipment with foreign countries. It has a program of developing fighter jets with the United Kingdom and Italy. Australia is planning to import Mogami-type of destroyer from Japan. While Takaichi is recognizing the export of defense equipment as business measures, JIP promotes the export as a conservative agenda, regarding some new further conservative parties such as Sanseito as a political threat.

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