No. 1334 Consultations among Ruling Parties on Weapons Export
Currently the ruling parties of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito review, under the government’s policy to intensify military build-up, the Three Principles on Transferring Defense Equipment, which stipulate the rules to export weapons. Arms export accelerates development of military industries, making Japan become a nation where ‘merchants of death’ roam.
DON’T LET JAPAN BE A NATION OF MERCHANT OF DEATH!
Concerning exporting weapons and military technologies, Japan has practically prohibited through ‘the government’s unified policy’ (set by the Miki administration), which was a doctrine further constrained than the Three Principles on Weapons Export (by the Sato Administration).
A change from banning to lifting the ban
The second-round Abe government, however, made a big policy change; it issued a cabinet decision on the Three Principles of Transferring Defense Equipment (2014), categorizing the weapons export into five groups, and simultaneously began to boost the basis of military industries and to cooperate with other countries in jointly developing and producing weapons.
The Abe government set up a new office in October 2015, the Defense Equipment Agency, as an auxiliary organ to the Ministry of Defense in order to control development, acquisition and export of the equipment in a unified manner.
The current Kishida government made another big change in the national security policy, announcing the cabinet’s decision in December 2022; it approved three documents on national security, namely the Strategy of National Security, the Strategy of National Defense and the Defense Buildup Program, but it faces pressures from the United States and Japan’s financial sector. The Keidanren, or the Japan Business Federation, demanded the government to seek for further changes in the direction, offering ‘a proposal for the guidelines on defense program’.
Production under license
The Kishida government, responding to the three documents of last December, legislated with the force of majority the bills to secure defense budget and to strengthen defense industries in the last ordinary Diet session, opening a path to boost weapons’ production and export.
Furthermore, the Working Team (WT) of the ruling bloc’s experts began to review last April the Three Principles to Transfer Defense Equipment and on November 29 the team agreed on exporting weapons produced here under license. That is, Japan is authorized to export arms to the United States if a Japan’s entity acquires their licenses from the US military industries.
The arms produced here in Japan under licenses include ground-to-air missiles Patriot for an interception purpose, multiple rocket launcher systems, F15 fighters, transport helicopter CH47s and ammunitions. These weapons can be exported with certain conditions to third parties via the United States after exporting from Japan.
If these armaments are transferred to warring or conflicting parties via a third party, weapons made in Japan will be used in the battleground.
In addition, the WT of the ruling LDP and the Komeito discusses direct export to a third country next-generation fighters developed jointly with the United Kingdom and Italy.
Vitalizing military enterprises
Under the circumstances, military industries are being vitalized. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced to increase the number of employees in charge of weapon-related sectors, one-thousand workers and six-thousand in three years, respectively, and to double the amounts of investment in facilities. Japan is being changed into a nation in which merchants of death, or arms dealers, are brought up.
It is crystal clear that weapons cannot create peace.
Let’s raise voices extensively of No War! and No Armament!
岸田政権の軍拡路線の下で与党の自公両党は、武器輸出のルールを定める「防衛装備移転三原則」の見直しを行っている。武器輸出は軍需産業の育成を進め、「死の商人」が跋扈(ばっこ)する国にする。
武器及び軍事技術の輸出は「武器輸出三原則」（ 佐藤内閣） を厳格化した「政府統一見解」（三木内閣）によって事実上の全面禁輸政策がとられてきた。
禁輸→解禁へ転換
しかし、第二次安倍内閣は、「防衛装備移転三原則」を閣議決定（ ２ ０ １ ４年）、武器輸出を５つの類型とし、同時に軍事産業基盤の育成と武器の国際共同開発と共同生産へと方針転換を図った。
安倍政権は15年10月には、防衛省の外局として防衛装備庁を発足させ防衛装備品の開発・取得・輸出を一元的に管理することとした。
岸田政権は22年12月に閣議決定した「安保３文書」（国家安全保障戦略、国家防衛戦略、防衛力整備計画）で安全保障政策の大転換を図ったが、米国や財界の圧力がある。経団連は同年４月、「防衛計画の大綱に向けた提言」で大転換の加速を求めている。
ライセンス生産で
岸田内閣は「安保３文書」を受けて先の通常国会で防衛財源確保法、防衛力産業強化法を強行、武器生産の促進と輸出へ道を開いた。
一方、自公の実務者協議のワーキングチーム（ＷＴ）は今源確保法、防衛力産業強化法を強行、武器生産の促進と輸出へ道を開いた。 一方、自公の実務者協議のワーキングチーム（ＷＴ）は今産した武器を米国に輸出可能とした。
日本がライセンス生産している兵器は迎撃用「地対空ミサイルパトリオット」、「多連装ロケットシステム」、Ｆ15戦闘機、輸送ヘリ「ＣＨ47」、弾薬など。これらが米国経由で第三国へ輸出も条件付きで可能となる。
そして、第三国を経て戦争・紛争当事国にわたれば日本の兵器が戦場で使われることになる。
また、自公ＷＴはイギリス、イタリアと共同開発中の次期戦闘機を日本から第三国に直接輸出について協議している。
防衛企業が活性化
こうした中で防衛産業の活性化が始まった。三菱電機は、兵器関連の従業員を３年間で１千人、三菱重工は３年間で６千人の増員計画と設備投資の倍増を打ち出した。日本は、武器輸出の「死の商人」を育成する国に変質しよAうとしている。
武力で平和は創れないことは明らか。「不戦・非武装」の声を拡げよう。
英訳版↓
No. 1334 Consultations among Ruling Parties on Weapons Export
Currently the ruling parties of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito review, under the government’s policy to intensify military build-up, the Three Principles on Transferring Defense Equipment, which stipulate the rules to export weapons. Arms export accelerates development of military industries, making Japan become a nation where ‘merchants of death’ roam.
DON’T LET JAPAN BE A NATION OF MERCHANT OF DEATH!
Concerning exporting weapons and military technologies, Japan has practically prohibited through ‘the government’s unified policy’ (set by the Miki administration), which was a doctrine further constrained than the Three Principles on Weapons Export (by the Sato Administration).
A change from banning to lifting the ban
The second-round Abe government, however, made a big policy change; it issued a cabinet decision on the Three Principles of Transferring Defense Equipment (2014), categorizing the weapons export into five groups, and simultaneously began to boost the basis of military industries and to cooperate with other countries in jointly developing and producing weapons.
The Abe government set up a new office in October 2015, the Defense Equipment Agency, as an auxiliary organ to the Ministry of Defense in order to control development, acquisition and export of the equipment in a unified manner.
The current Kishida government made another big change in the national security policy, announcing the cabinet’s decision in December 2022; it approved three documents on national security, namely the Strategy of National Security, the Strategy of National Defense and the Defense Buildup Program, but it faces pressures from the United States and Japan’s financial sector. The Keidanren, or the Japan Business Federation, demanded the government to seek for further changes in the direction, offering ‘a proposal for the guidelines on defense program’.
Production under license
The Kishida government, responding to the three documents of last December, legislated with the force of majority the bills to secure defense budget and to strengthen defense industries in the last ordinary Diet session, opening a path to boost weapons’ production and export.
Furthermore, the Working Team (WT) of the ruling bloc’s experts began to review last April the Three Principles to Transfer Defense Equipment and on November 29 the team agreed on exporting weapons produced here under license. That is, Japan is authorized to export arms to the United States if a Japan’s entity acquires their licenses from the US military industries.
The arms produced here in Japan under licenses include ground-to-air missiles Patriot for an interception purpose, multiple rocket launcher systems, F15 fighters, transport helicopter CH47s and ammunitions. These weapons can be exported with certain conditions to third parties via the United States after exporting from Japan.
If these armaments are transferred to warring or conflicting parties via a third party, weapons made in Japan will be used in the battleground.
In addition, the WT of the ruling LDP and the Komeito discusses direct export to a third country next-generation fighters developed jointly with the United Kingdom and Italy.
Vitalizing military enterprises
Under the circumstances, military industries are being vitalized. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced to increase the number of employees in charge of weapon-related sectors, one-thousand workers and six-thousand in three years, respectively, and to double the amounts of investment in facilities. Japan is being changed into a nation in which merchants of death, or arms dealers, are brought up.
It is crystal clear that weapons cannot create peace.
Let’s raise voices extensively of No War! and No Armament!
December 13, 2023