Japan Fully Lifts Export Ban on Lethal Weapons
On April 21, 2026, the Japanese government announced a fundamental shift in its arms export system, effectively establishing a "weapon export licensing" regime.
Under the previous system, arms and defense equipment exports were restricted to five categories: rescue, transportation, surveillance, monitoring, and mine clearance. As a result, lethal weapons such as fighter jets, frigates, submarines, and missiles were generally prohibited from export.
The "five-category restriction" will now be abolished. Consequently, in principle, fighter jets, frigates, submarines, along with their components, technologies, and services such as maintenance and repair, can be transferred overseas.
The Japanese government states that sharing equipment with allies and friendly nations will strengthen deterrence. The goal is to deepen security cooperation through interoperability of military equipment. Another objective is to sustain Japan’s domestic defense industrial base.
Exports are expected to support production and technological foundations that would otherwise be difficult to maintain based solely on domestic demand.
On the other hand, exports of so-called "lethal and destructive weapons" will be limited to countries that have signed international commitments and agree to use these weapons in accordance with the UN Charter.
Although it is "principally prohibited to use in war zones," exceptions may be made in cases deemed exceptional due to considerations related to Japan's national security needs.
The future focus will be on which weapons will be transferred to which countries. If high-performance equipment such as fighter jets and warships actually begin to be exported, Japan’s postwar security policy could be fundamentally overturned.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863129713356811/
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