The Japanese government has approved the export of new fighter jets jointly developed with the UK and Italy, retreating from its pacifist stance, on Tuesday the 26th of March, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
The relaxed arms export rules will allow arms to be sold to countries having defence agreements and without active conflicts.
The move is in line with Japan’s plan to double its military spending by 2027 in the face of threats from China and North Korea. The authorities said that the sale of each destroyer would have to be approved by the government.
In December 2022, Japan joined a UK-Italian collaboration called Tempest to develop a new fighter jet that will use artificial intelligence and advanced sensors to help the pilots.
The first fighter jet is expected to be deployed by 2035,
marking Tokyo’s first partnership in defence development outside the US.
Ahead of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s upcoming official visit to the US in April, Japan’s decision to relax arms export rules signals its willingness to deepen its defence partnership and underline its alliance with Washington.
Kishida also said that warplane exports to third countries are “necessary” to maintain Tokyo’s credibility as a partner in other international defence projects in the future.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi reaffirmed on Tuesday that the plan is important to ensure Japan’s defence capabilities are maintained.
But Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara explained that Japan would remain committed to the “basic philosophy of a pacifist nation”, with a “strict decision-making process” for exports.
After the Second World War, US-occupied Japan adopted a constitution stating that the country renounced war and the use of force to settle international disputes and limited its army to self-defence. The country also introduced a ban on arms exports, which was first relaxed in 2014 by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In December 2023, Japan further relaxed the rules by allowing the export of weapons manufactured under foreign licences to the country of the licensor, making it easier to send Patriot air defence missiles to the US. These missiles are among the most advanced weapons supplied by the US to Ukraine.
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