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Current Affairs

Why China is worried by Japan’s plans to change rules on arms sales

Japan is considering plans to relax its rules on the sale of offensive weapons in a move that one Chinese analyst said may open the…

By Samantha Johnson / April 4, 2026

Japan is considering plans to relax its rules on the sale of offensive weapons in a move that one Chinese analyst said may open the door to it exporting weapons to war zones and possibly to Taiwan.

Currently, Japan can only export military equipment designated for five defensive purposes: rescue, transport, warning, surveillance or minesweeping.

But a draft government document, reportedly seen by the news agency Kyodo, would scrap this rule and these categories.

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Kyodo said the new regulations would make a distinction between lethal equipment, for example warships or missiles, and non-lethal technology such as radars.

According to media reports, lethal equipment would now be allowed to be sold to countries with which Japan already has deals to exchange defence technology.

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Under the new proposals, defence exports would have to be approved by the country’s National Security Council.

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