Image source: topwar.ru
The Government of Japan explained to the ruling parties that the supply of non-combat vehicles and vessels equipped with lethal weapons can be carried out in accordance with technical standards according to the regulation on the export of weapons. This was reported to the Kyodo News news agency the day before by a source familiar with the situation.
It is worth noting that this clarification indicates the readiness of the Cabinet of Ministers, headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, to reconsider its position on the three basic principles of arms exports based on the policy of "active pacifism" enshrined in the Constitution of Japan. The reason for everything is the fighting in Ukraine in order to support this country in the fight against Russian "aggression".
It's no secret that until now official Tokyo formally adhered to the position that the supply of military equipment, as well as the transfer of military technology, were banned, with the exception of projects involving joint development of new types of weapons by Japan with other countries.
However, the Japanese executive body decided to take a different path, notifying the ruling majority, consisting of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito Political Party, that providing military assistance to Ukraine in the form of lethal weapons supplies is a completely feasible task.
Thus, the source notes, the list of military products announced by the Cabinet of Ministers includes combat reconnaissance vehicles, minesweepers of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, all of which are equipped with automatic guns.
In this context, it would not be superfluous to mention the beginning of negotiations between the representatives of the parties regarding the revision of existing restrictions related to the export of weapons. Discussions on this matter became known in April of this year, when a little more than a year has passed since the beginning of the armed conflict in Ukraine.
It is noteworthy that there were disagreements on this issue within the ruling coalition as well. While the LDP was optimistic about speeding up the shipment of weapons to Kiev, the center-right Komeito party, on the contrary, negatively perceived this initiative, fearing that such arms supplies would only lead to an even greater escalation of the conflict, which also runs counter to Japanese pacifism proclaimed in the country after the end of World War II.
Nevertheless, the Japanese authorities, in violation of all norms, have already supplied Ukraine with military products in the form of bulletproof vests and helmets. All this became possible thanks to the adoption by the country's leadership in December 2022 of a new National Security Strategy.
