Japan Press Weekly

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2015 April 8 - 14 [POLITICS]

Defense Ministry discussing ways to fund foreign governments’ purchase of Japan-made weapons

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Inoue Satoshi on April 7 demanded that the government retract its plan to provide financial support to foreign governments to help them purchase Japan-made weapons.

At a Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, Inoue referred to the fact that the Defense Ministry is discussing the plan as a part of government measures to promote the sales of weapons after the government lifted the ban on arms exports in April last year.

Defense Minister Nakatani Gen in response to Inoue said that the Japanese government received inquiries from ASEAN members and other countries regarding possible financing for their purchase of Japan-made weapons and admitted that an expert panel of the ministry is examining the matter.

Inoue cited an Economy Ministry’s report which shows that Iraq had already become a military power before the invasion of Kuwait due to military assistance it had received from western powers and the former Soviet Union. He said, “Using military aid as a diplomatic bargaining chip could fuel international disputes.”

Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio only said that a causal relationship between military assistance to a country and a higher risk of the country causing disputes is not always clear.


Past related articles:
> Lifting arms embargo is integral to Abe’s attempt to build war-fighting Japan: Yamashita [April 2, 2014]
> Gov’t abandons Japan’s arms embargo principles [April 2, 2014]