Japan's government is planning to revise its guidelines on the three principles of defense equipment transfer this month to permit the export of lethal weapons in principle, with decisions on arms exports to be made through National Security Council (NSC) screening and subsequent notification to the Diet, local media reported on the 4th.

According to multiple government and ruling party officials, the Japanese government has drafted a plan to decide on lethal weapons exports through NSC screening and to notify the Diet afterward.

Japanese tanks participating in a live-fire exercise in Fuji [Kyodo News]

The Mainichi Shimbun reported that opposition parties, which demand strict oversight including prior notification to the Diet, are expected to intensify their criticism in response.

The Japanese government plans to present the draft revision of the three principles of defense equipment transfer guidelines at a meeting of executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Security Research Committee on the 6th and complete the revision work within this month.

The core of the revised bill is to remove the export restrictions on defense equipment that have been limited to five purposes, such as rescue, transport, patrol, surveillance, and mine clearance (removing dangerous items like naval mines from the sea), and to permit the export of lethal weapons, including missiles and escort ships, in principle.

Originally, Japan effectively prohibited arms exports based on the "pacifist principle" of Article 9 of its constitution. However, during the second administration of Shinzo Abe, the three principles of defense equipment transfer were established in 2014, allowing the export of defense equipment only for five purposes with low direct relevance to combat.

Since then, Japan has eased export restrictions by increasing the number of exceptions, but the export of lethal weapons has still been restricted in principle.