JAKARTA - The Chinese government has expressed its concern and considers Japan's decision to open the tap of arms exports to be a dangerous step.
"China expresses its deep concern. The recent dangerous steps taken by Japan in the military and security fields are contrary to the claims of 'dedication to peace' that they themselves have made, as well as their compliance with the 'defense-oriented' policy," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun. at a press conference in Beijing, Tuesday, April 21, reported by ANTARA.
The Japanese government on Tuesday (21/4) revised the rules on restrictions on the export of military equipment so as to allow the sale of weapons abroad to build its arms industry and deepen cooperation with defense partners.
The change approved by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet and National Security Council marks a significant shift in defense policy for a country that has positioned itself as a "peace-loving nation" under a Constitution that renounces war, since Japan's defeat in World War II.
The revision of the arms export is against "three principles regarding the transfer of defense equipment and technology" and its implementation guidelines which eliminate export restrictions but only for five categories of non-combat defense equipment, namely: rescue, transportation, early warning, surveillance and mine clearance.
"Many experts have voiced concerns that Japan is reviving its 'war machine' and 'exporting war'. Japan's accelerated military remilitarization process has now become a reality, which is even accompanied by concrete road maps and concrete steps being taken," Guo Jiakun added.
The international community, including China, will always increase vigilance and resolutely oppose Japan's reckless neo-militarism, said Guo Jiakun.
"Japanese militarists, during their aggression and expansion in the last century, have committed terrible crimes against China and other neighboring countries in Asia. The post-war document explicitly requires Japan to 'completely disarm' and not maintain an industry that 'allows it to rearm for war', said Guo Jiakun.
Moreover, the Japanese Constitution also contains strict restrictions on Japan's military power, the right to engage in hostilities, and the right to wage war.
Post-World War II, Guo said Japan established stricter norms such as "the principle of defense-oriented only" to limit the development of military power and arms exports.
Although in principle the revision of the rules in Japan prohibits the export of weapons to countries that are in conflict, the revision also still opens up room for exceptions "in special circumstances" that take into account Japan's security needs and the United States military operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
Based on this change, defense equipment will also be categorized into two groups, namely "weapons" and "non-weapons", whose grouping is based on the existence or absence of lethal and destructive capabilities of the equipment.
Exports of non-weapon goods, such as warning and control radar systems, are not restricted; while, exports of weapons, including fighter jets, destroyers and missiles, are restricted only to countries that have signed agreements with Japan on the protection of confidential information related to defense equipment and technology.
Currently, Japan has agreements with 17 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
The countries must also get approval from the National Security Council, and the government will monitor how the weapons are managed afterwards.
In 2014, Japan began exporting a number of non-lethal military equipment, and in December 2023, the country approved changes that would allow the sale of dozens of types of lethal weapons and their components produced in Japan under licenses from other countries to be resold to the licensors, such as the US.
In its largest deal in history, Japan last week sealed an agreement to hand over the first three units of a $6.5 billion Japanese-designed frigate fleet to the Australian Navy, as well as build eight more units jointly in the country.
The defense industry is one of the 17 strategic areas prioritized for growth under PM Takaichi's government.
"Now, no country can protect its own peace and security alone; therefore, partner countries that support each other in terms of defense equipment are very necessary," Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X.
Japan has gradually increased its military spending in recent years to reach 2 percent of GDP, and further increases are expected under Takaichi's administration.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
