The Japanese submarine 'Raigei'. Yonhap News Agency

The Japanese government and ruling coalition are accelerating efforts to abolish certain regulations that restrict arms exports, buoyed by the tense situation in Northeast Asia and public support for strengthening defense capabilities.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 2nd, the Japanese government and ruling coalition are coordinating a plan to eliminate the regulation that allows finished defense equipment to be exported only for five purposes: rescue, transport, patrol, surveillance, and minesweeping (clearing dangerous objects like sea mines). This change is expected to be implemented by next spring.

This regulation is stipulated in the operational guidelines of the "Three Principles on Defense Equipment Transfer" and can be unilaterally deleted by the government without the need to amend laws.

It is known that a majority opinion supporting the abolition of the five-purpose restriction on defense equipment exports emerged during a security research meeting held by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) the previous day.

The LDP is expected to finalize its proposals around February of next year, and the government is anticipated to abolish the regulation around April based on these proposals, according to Yomiuri.

The LDP and the Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), the ruling coalition partner, agreed in October when establishing the coalition to abolish this regulation within the first half of next year.

The regulation restricting defense equipment exports to five purposes has been in operation since 2014. It is known that Japan has only exported weapons under this regulation once in 2023, by supplying a surveillance radar to the Philippines.

However, the operational guidelines include a de facto exception that allows exports regardless of purpose in cases of "joint development." Japan has been pursuing the export of frigates to Australia by utilizing this provision.

Despite this, dissatisfaction has persisted within the Japanese government and political circles, with complaints that it is difficult to export defense equipment due to the five-purpose restriction. Its abolition has been seen as a long-cherished wish, according to Yomiuri.

The newspaper explained, "If the abolition of the five-purpose restriction is realized, it will enable the export of a wide range of equipment, including those with high lethal capabilities," and predicted that it "will lead to the strengthening of Japan's defense industry and the expansion of cooperation with friendly nations."

The Japanese government and ruling coalition also plan to establish systems to prevent situations where powerful weapons are delivered to parties involved in conflicts, thereby escalating disputes, after the regulation is abolished.

However, some voices express concern that the shift in the LDP's coalition partner from Komeito, known as the "party of peace," to the strongly conservative Nippon Ishin no Kai will not put a brake on moves to expand arms exports.

In 2023, Japan also revised regulations to allow the export of finished products, not just parts, of licensed defense equipment manufactured by paying patent fees, to the countries holding the licenses.

Based on this, Japan recently exported Patriot surface-to-air missiles held by the Air Self-Defense Force to the United States.

As the Japanese government focuses on arms exports and production, sales of related companies are also surging.

According to the "Top 100 Military Producers and Military Services Companies Report 2024" released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on November 1st (local time), five Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, and NEC, were included among the world's top 100 defense contractors.

The Nikkei reported that the sales of these companies last year amounted to 13.3 billion dollars (approximately 19.6 trillion won), a 40% increase compared to the previous year.

The Sankei Shimbun noted this as the highest growth rate among major countries and analyzed that "the Japanese government's policy of strengthening defense capabilities, while closely monitoring threats from China, has led to an increase in sales for each company."

The Japan Defense Equipment Agency's "Defense Industry Participation Promotion Exhibition," which opened the previous day, saw participation from various companies, including information and communication technology (IT) firms, showcasing their technologies, according to the Asahi Shimbun.

Meanwhile, the Yomiuri reported that a postal opinion poll conducted by the newspaper in cooperation with Waseda University from September 24th to October 31st, surveying 2,004 people, found that 67% favored strengthening defense capabilities, while 31% were opposed.

In this survey, 65% responded that they believe China could invade Taiwan in the future. Those who did not anticipate an invasion accounted for 32%.

Yonhap News Agency