Recently, Japan's right-wing forces have continued to escalate their "re-militarization" actions. According to a report by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun on the 26th, the Japanese government has begun studying revisions to the Self-Defense Forces Act, planning to introduce special provisions that would allow the free or low-cost export of weapons and equipment with lethal and destructive capabilities.
Under the plan, Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is scheduled to visit countries such as the Philippines during the May Golden Week holiday, specifically to negotiate the export of second-hand military equipment, with a focus on pushing forward projects like exporting patrol vessels to the Philippines, claiming the aim is to strengthen cooperation with "like-minded nations" and enhance regional deterrence capabilities.
Under Japan’s current laws, defense equipment is state-owned property and strictly prohibited from being provided free of charge or at a low cost abroad. Although the Self-Defense Forces Act permits low-cost transfers of idle materials to developing countries, this is limited to non-lethal items such as helmets; main combat weapons including patrol vessels and missiles, along with ammunition, remain strictly banned. This proposed revision would fundamentally break through that boundary.
According to multiple informed sources, the Japanese government plans to revise key security documents including the National Security Strategy within the year, aiming to complete relevant legislative amendments by the regular Diet session in 2027.
Zhou Yongsheng, professor at the Foreign Affairs University, told reporters from Global Times on the 26th that Japan’s repeated adjustments to its arms export regulations are laying down policy and legal foundations for exporting second-hand and even obsolete lethal weapons abroad, fully exposing its dangerous ambitions to accelerate re-militarization and strive to become a military power.
"In the context of South China Sea tensions, the Philippines is the most active country in aligning with Japan to counter regional development and provoke maritime disputes, making it a priority target for Japanese military aid and new weapon exports," Zhou said. He added that the Philippines’ naval military buildup remains relatively underdeveloped, with some current vessels still being U.S.-made equipment retired in the 1950s; thus, Japanese warships that have served for two to three decades still offer a technological edge.
Zhou believes Japan’s move essentially reflects dual calculations: first, by supplying second-hand, outdated equipment to bolster the Philippines' military capabilities, thereby enhancing its confrontational capacity in the South China Sea and serving Japan’s geopolitical strategy; second, by clearing out aging inventory to make room for the deployment of new vessels and shedding the burden of obsolete assets.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863623724707851/
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