Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) battle tanks take part in a live fire exercise at East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba on May 27, 2023. YUICHI YAMAZAKI / AFP
Japan will ease decades-old arms export rules, the government's top spokesman Minoru Kihara said on Tuesday, April 21, a policy shift that paves the way for the sale of lethal weapons overseas.
The new rules end Japan's self-imposed curb on sales of lethal arms as Tokyo seeks to enter the international arms market, hoping to bolster national defense as well as boost economic growth. It comes as anxiety increases over China's escalating military activity in the region, as well as persistent security threats from North Korea and Russia.
"These decisions have been made at a time when changes in the security environment surrounding our country are occurring at an accelerating pace, and they serve to ensure Japan's security while contributing even more to peace and stability in the region and the international community," Kihara told a news conference. "Today, no nation can safeguard its own peace and security by itself alone."
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