Japan has scrapped its decades-long ban on lethal weapons exports, marking one of the most significant departures from the pacifist defence posture the country has maintained since its defeat in World War II. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet approved the new guidelines on Tuesday, clearing the way for Japan to export warships, fighter jets, missiles and combat drones — equipment far beyond the flak jackets, gas masks and surveillance radars that had previously defined Japan's overseas defence transfers.

The shift has been building for years. Japan began exporting non-lethal military supplies in 2014, under the influence of former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who steadily pushed back against the constraints of Japan's postwar pacifist constitution. Takaichi, widely seen as a political heir to Abe, has gone considerably further: she has accelerated a doubling of defence spending to two percent of GDP and now removed the final legal barriers to full weapons exports. For now, sales will be restricted to 17 countries that have signed defence equipment and technology transfer agreements with Japan, must be approved by the National Security Council, and will not extend to nations currently at war — though officials acknowledged exceptions to that last rule could be made.

The immediate practical impact is substantial. Last week, Japan formalised its largest arms deal to date — a $6.5 billion agreement for Australia to receive three Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mogami-class frigates and to jointly build eight more. New Zealand and the Philippines have also expressed interest in Japanese naval vessels. The deal fits into a broader effort to revitalise Japan's domestic defence industry, which had long been considered a poor investment given that it could only serve Japan's own Self-Defense Forces. Officials and defence analysts now expect a wave of corporate interest, particularly in drones and dual-use technology.

Reactions have divided sharply along geopolitical lines. The United States, Australia and NATO partners have welcomed the move, with the US ambassador to Japan calling it a