Japan Press Weekly

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2023 May 24 - 30 [POLITICS]

Diet debate on bill benefiting arms industry begins in Upper House

The House of Councilors on May 26 entered into discussions on a bill which incorporates financial support for the domestic arms industry in order to enhance its operations. Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Yamazoe Taku demanded that the bill be scrapped by criticizing the bill for ensuring that military enterprises enjoy huge benefits.

The bill to buoy the arms industry, if enacted, will enable the government to buy unprofitable manufacturing facilities from arms companies so that they can keep their businesses without bearing the costs of investment and maintenance for the facilities. In addition, the bill will give subsidies to arms exporters to expand their sales channels.

Yamazoe said that the bill regards the arms industry as the country's "defense capability itself" and that the bill is just another arms buildup implementation act which strengthens the domestic production and technology bases for advanced weapons.

He stated, "To abandon the three principles banning Japan's arms trade and its position as a 'war-renouncing nation' in exchange for protecting the arms industry is like putting the cart before the horse."