Japan's easing of restrictions on lethal weapons exports could fuel a regional arms race and cause greater militarization across Asia, according to an analyst in the Philippines.
The Japanese government officially revised "the three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology" and their implementation guidelines on April 21 to enable overseas sales of weapons, including those with lethal capabilities.
"It marks Japan's shift from being mainly a security supporter to becoming a more active defense industrial and strategic supplier in Asia. Allowing exports of lethal systems, including warships, missiles, drones, and destroyers, weakens the post-war restraint on Japan," said Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, vice president for external affairs of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, during a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN). "It can provoke what you call arms race in the region and without the so-called diplomatic guardrails, you know, and it could accelerate what you call an ASEAN arms buildup and raise the risk of miscalculation on the ground," she added.
She also pointed out other factors that are further worsening the situation.
"So the key danger is not Japanese export alone. But it's the combination of the militarized dispute, historical mistrust, alliance signaling, and weak crisis management mechanism that we have actually in the region even within the ASEAN context," said the analyst.
Japan's defense export shift could fuel regional arms race: Philippine analyst
