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By Ankit Panda
Shinzo Abe and the LDP are out to remove Japan’s ban on defense exports. Is this “proactive pacifism” or something else?
Japan’s self-imposed ban on weapons exports dates back to 1967 when it declared its Three Principles under which no “arms,” broadly defined as actual weapons and non-offensive defense technology, would be transferred to communist nations, countries subject to arms embargoes under the United Nations Security Council, and countries involved in or likely to be involved in international conflicts.
It further tightened the screw in February 1976 when the government ”announced the collateral policy guideline at the Diet session that the ‘arms’ exports to other areas not included in the Three Principles will be also restrained in conformity with Japan’s position as a peace-loving nation. In other words, the collateral policy guideline declared that the Government of Japan shall not promote ‘arms’ exports, regardless of the destinations.” The government of Japan additionally prohibited overseas investment in arms manufacturers but excluded dual-use technology from the ban.
The above ban was forged and understood in the context of Japan’s post-World War II constitution. Article 9 of the constitution renounces Japan’s right to wage war and prohibits it from maintaining a standing army for anything but self-defense. Accordingly, Japan maintains Self-Defense Forces and a robust assortment of defensive military hardware.
Read the full story at The Diplomat