Japan has loosened its arms export restrictions, allowing it to sell weapons to 17 countries, a move that signals a break from its long-standing post-World War Two pacifist policy. The change. Announced on Tuesday. Clears the way for Japan to export lethal weapons to nations with which it has defense agreements, including the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the BBC.

Shift in Defense Policy

The restrictions that limited arms exports to just five categories—rescue, transport, warning, surveillance, and minesweeping—will be lifted; this means Japan can now sell lethal weapons to the 17 countries with which it has defense agreements, according to the BBC. The new rules do not allow arms sales to countries involved in conflict, though exceptions can be made in special circumstances, as stated by Tokyo authorities.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X that, ‘In an increasingly severe security environment, no single country can now protect its own peace and security alone.’ She also emphasized that ‘there is absolutely no change in our commitment to upholding the path and fundamental principles we have followed as a peace-loving nation for over 80 years since the war.’

Regional Tensions and Concerns

China has expressed serious concerns about Japan’s new arms export rules, calling them ‘reckless militarisation.’ Beijing’s foreign ministry stated in a routine media briefing on Tuesday that it will remain ‘highly vigilant and resolutely opposed’ to the move, according to the BBC.

The announcement comes as Japan’s Self-Defence Forces are taking part in annual war games between the US and the Philippines for the first time as combatants, rather than observers. These exercises take place in parts of the Philippines that are near waters and islands claimed by China, including Taiwan, according to the BBC.

China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing’s control and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island. Last year. Takaichi drew Beijing’s ire after she suggested in parliament that Japan could respond with its Self-Defence Forces if China attacked Taiwan, according to the BBC.

Historical Context and Constitutional Debate

Japan’s defense posture was written into its post-World War Two constitution in 1947, which renounced war as a way to settle international disputes and stated that Japan will never maintain war potential. For decades. Pacifism has been part of Japan’s identity, but the mindset has been shifting gradually, according to the BBC.

In 2023. Then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took a step further by allowing exports of finished lethal weapons for the first time since World War Two. Takaichi has supported revising the pacifist constitution, though she has not specified the proposed changes, as many believe the changes will involve amending Article 9, which renounces war, according to the BBC.

Takaichi’s supporters argue that Japan needs to face a new reality where old rules no longer apply for a country surrounded by China, Russia, and North Korea. Critics, however, worry that Japan is becoming a war-capable country, and Takaichi’s stance on constitutional reform could mean Japan might be drawn into military conflicts, according to the BBC.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said Japan’s defense policy ‘should ideally be carried out in a manner that upholds the spirit of the Peace Constitution while contributing to peace and stability in the region,’ according to the BBC. South Korea was colonised by Japan from 1910 until the end of World War Two, and Japanese soldiers forced hundreds of thousands of Koreans to work in its mines and factories. Women were pushed into sexual slavery, according to the BBC.