Japan Press Weekly

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2024 March 13 - 19 [POLITICS]

Yamazoe criticizes Kishida gov’t for putting mock brake on export of jointly developed next-gen fighter jets

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Yamazoe Taku on March 13 at a House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting grilled the government about its explanations regarding a “brake” on the export to third countries of next generation fighters which Japan will co-develop with Britain and Italy.

Yamazoe criticized Prime Minister Kishida for applying a mock “brake” by explaining that the export will be limited to 15 countries which have signed with Japan a deal like an agreement on the transfer of defense equipment and technologies. Yamazoe asked if such an agreement has received Diet approval.

Defense Minister Kihara Minoru admitted that each time the government concluded an agreement with the 15 countries, it did not ask for Diet approval. Yamazoe pointed out that considering the possibility that the number of partner countries in the defense equipment transfer deal will increase without Diet approval, the government-set limit of 15 countries does not work effectively as a “brake”.

Yamazoe noted that the government claims that the disallowance of arms exports to countries that are “judged to be at war” will function as a “brake”.

Yamazoe referred to a case in which Eurofighter combat aircraft developed jointly by the U.K., Italy, Germany, and Spain were used in an air strike on Yemen in 2015 after being exported to Saudi Arabia, killing many innocent civilians.

Yamazoe said that it is unacceptable for the Kishida government to export lethal weapons abroad with the ill-conceived “brakes”.

Past related article:
> Next-generation fighter under joint development projected to be used in conflicts [June 2, 2023]