Japan may soon sell weapons, including fighter planes, abroad in a major shift from pacifist policies initiated after World War II.
Published on 21 April 2026
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet has lifted a ban on the export of lethal weapons, including fighter planes, in a major change to Japan’s pacifist constitution since World War II.
In a post on X announcing the changes on Tuesday, Takachi did not specify which weapons Japan would now sell abroad. However, Japanese newspapers said the changes would include fighter jets, missiles and warships, which Japan has recently agreed to build for Australia.
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“With this amendment, the transfer of all defense equipment will become theoretically possible,” Takachi said, adding, “Recipients will be limited to countries that have committed to use in accordance with the UN Charter”.
“In an increasingly serious security environment, no country can anymore protect its peace and security alone.”
Japan’s Chunichi newspaper reported that under the changes at least 17 countries would be eligible to buy Japanese-made weapons, with the list expanding if more countries enter into bilateral agreements with Japan.
Previous rules, introduced in 1967 and enacted in 1976, limited Japanese military exports to non-lethal weapons, such as weapons used for surveillance and mine sweeping, Japan’s Asahi newspaper reports.
Asahi also explained that Japan will still ban arms exports to countries where fighting is currently ongoing, but will allow exemptions in “special circumstances” where Japan’s national security needs are taken into account.
Countries interested in buying Japan-made weapons include Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Indonesia, which recently signed a major defense agreement with the United States, Chunichi reported, citing Japan’s Defense Ministry.
Tokyo’s change in policy comes shortly after Japan and Australia signed a $7 billion deal under which Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build the first three of 11 warships for the Australian Navy.
Takaichi sends gift to controversial war temple
The changes announced by Takaichi on Tuesday came amid reports that the Japanese Prime Minister had sent a ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on the occasion of the Spring Festival.
Built in the 1800s to honor Japan’s war dead, the shrine contains the names of more than 1,000 convicted Japanese war criminals of World War II, including 14 who were found guilty of “Class A” crimes.
Visits to the shrine have long been considered by Japanese officials to be insensitive toward people from China, South Korea, and other countries who were brutalized by Japanese soldiers during the war.
Following the defeat of the Axis powers at the end of World War II, including the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan introduced a new constitution refusing to participate in the war.
However, Takaichi, considered a China “hawk” and sometimes called Japan’s “Iron Lady”, is among a number of recent Japanese leaders who have taken a stand against the country’s pacifist stance.
