Summary
Japan has changed its strict rules to allow selling weapons to other countries, breaking a policy in place since World War II. This move follows Japan increasing its defense budget and comes amid concerns about U.S. reliability under President Donald Trump and rising tensions with China.
Key Facts
- Japan approved a record defense budget of over 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for 2026.
- The defense budget aims to reach 2% of Japan’s GDP within five years.
- Japan plans to spend about $6.2 billion to improve missile systems, including buying Type-12 missiles with a range of 1,000 km.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cited a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan as a reason for the increased defense spending.
- Japan announced it will ease restrictions on exporting weapons, allowing domestic companies like Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric to sell arms abroad.
- Countries such as the Philippines and Poland are expected to buy Japanese arms.
- Japan wants to reduce reliance on U.S. military support, as the U.S. has been focused on conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
- Japan aims to build defense supply chains within Asia, independent of the United States.
