In a provocative double-stroke that has sent geopolitical tremors through East Asia, Japan’s decision to greenlight the export of lethal weapons coincided directly with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine. The synchronized moves ignited a firestorm of condemnation from China on Tuesday.
Delivering a blistering rebuke at a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun posted two pointed questions at Tokyo: With massive increase in military budget, the deployment of intermediate-range offensive missiles, relaxed restrictions on weapon export, proposed revision of its pacifist Constitution and the idea of abandoning the three non-nuclear principles, how can Japan profess itself as a “peace-loving country”?
He then asked a stark and stern question: What’s Japan really up to?
On Tuesday, the Japanese government officially revised the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and their implementation guidelines, allowing the overseas sale of weapons, including those with lethal capabilities. Also on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japanese militarism and wartime aggression, during its spring festival, according to media reports.
Taken together, Japan’s synchronized moves on Tuesday sent a troubling signal, highlighting the Japanese right wing’s distorted historical perspective and its persistent push for military expansion, while putting neighboring countries on high alert over Japan’s growing remilitarization, according to analysts.
Remilitarization moves
At a cabinet meeting and a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Tuesday, the Japanese government revised the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology, as well as their implementation guidelines, which govern rules for defense equipment exports. The revision abolishes the “five categories” that had limited exports of finished products to non-combat purposes, and in principle permits the export of weapons with lethal capability, according to Kyodo News.
With countries such as the US in mind, Japan will also exceptionally allow arms exports to countries involved in ongoing conflicts when there are “special circumstances.” Under the new rules, defense equipment will be classified into “weapons” and “non-weapons” depending on whether they possess lethal or destructive capability, per Kyodo.
The revision, described by Kyodo News as “a major shift in Japan’s security policy,” was widely reported by Japanese media on Tuesday, amid concerns that the move could fuel conflicts and intensify regional arms races.
Echoing Kyodo News, The Tokyo Shimbun and the Sankei Shimbun commented on Tuesday that the revision marks a major shift in Japan’s security policy, which “has long advocated a restrained approach” to arms exports in line with its status as a “peace-loving nation.”
Japan’s latest policy shift sends a stark signal that it is accelerating its break from the postwar peace framework and moving further toward remilitarization. This marks another key step in Japan’s transformation into a more overt military power, leaving the so-called “principle” largely hollowed out and existing in name only, Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.
Japan’s easing of arms export rules has also faced domestic opposition.
Issei Hironaka, an associate professor at Japan’s Aichi Gakuin University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that “Once Japanese-made weapons with lethal capabilities are used in conflicts around the world, Japan would be indirectly departing from the spirit of its pacifist Constitution.”
“Can Japan, while presenting itself as a peace-oriented country, justify intervening in other nations’ wars through arms exports?”
He warned that Japan’s shift toward a more proactive defense posture will heighten tensions with neighboring East Asian countries, particularly China, and further add to regional uncertainty.
On Tuesday, many Japanese netizens also expressed opposition to the use of their tax money and their country’s name in exporting weapons capable of killing and injuring people.
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Chair Shii Kazuo said on X on Tuesday that “We must not allow Japan to be reduced to a ‘merchant of death’ that profits from weapons. We strongly protest this decision and demand its withdrawal. We will do everything in our power to restore the ban on arms exports.”
Japan’s policy shift is attempting to use the US and multilateral mechanisms as a strategic lever for getting more deeply involved in regional disputes, including the Taiwan question. The latest revision will not only drive the expansion of Japan’s domestic arms industry and speed up the country’s remilitarization, but also raise the specter of renewed militarism, Da Zhigang, a researcher at the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Alarming neo-militarism rising
In response to Takaichi’s sending offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, spokesperson Guo said Japan’s negative moves related to the Yasukuni war shrine is in nature an attempt to evade war responsibilities, an affront to justice, a provocation against Japan’s war victims, and a challenge to the outcome of WWII victory. Such moves have been widely condemned and firmly rejected by the international community.
As of press time on Tuesday, the hashtag “Takaichi sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni” was among the most-viewed topics on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, with more than 29 million views, with many expressing outrage and alarm over Japan’s rising militarism under the Takaichi administration.
Netizen “GeeLaowang” wrote that “truly disgusting! Sanae Takaichi has once again paid tribute to war criminals by sending an offering, showing that the specter of militarism is still haunting Japan. History must never be falsified or whitewashed.”
Any visit or offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine by a Japanese politician is a clear reflection of that politician’s political stance. For the Chinese public, any insistence on paying tribute at the shrine, regardless of the form it takes, is bound to provoke strong resentment and anger. Japanese politicians should be fully aware of this, Lü Chao, an expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Responding to Takaichi’s offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry also expressed “deep disappointment and regret” and urged Japan’s leaders to confront history squarely and show genuine remorse through concrete actions, according to South Korean media KBS.
Xiang said Japan’s loosening of arms export rules and Takaichi’s offering to Yasukuni Shrine on the same day sent a deeply troubling signal, laying bare the Japanese right wing’s distorted historical view and persistent push for military expansion. One move breached postwar restraints in legal and institutional terms, while the other inflamed nationalist sentiment ideologically, making Japan’s remilitarization more visible and more dangerous.
Japan’s moves could further weaken political and security trust between China and Japan, heighten regional tensions, fuel an arms race, and increase the risk of conflict, said Xiang, urging the international community to oppose Japan’s military adventurism to safeguard regional peace and stability.