Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet on Tuesday lifted the country's longstanding ban on exporting lethal weapons, clearing the way for Japanese manufacturers to sell fighter jets, missiles and warships abroad in the biggest break from the post-World War II pacifist posture in more than a decade.

The change transforms Japan from a country that for 80 years largely refused to ship finished weapons overseas into a prospective arms supplier to as many as 17 partner nations. It arrives as Tokyo ramps up defense spending and as allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific lean on Japanese industrial capacity amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

What changed

Takaichi announced the shift on X on Tuesday. "With this amendment, transfers of all defence equipment will in principle become possible," she wrote, adding that "recipients will be limited to countries that commit to use in accordance with the UN Charter." She did not specify which systems would be cleared first, but Japanese newspapers cited by Al Jazeera said the changes would encompass fighter jets, missiles and warships.

At least 17 countries will be eligible to buy Japanese-made weapons under the revised rules, Japan's Chunichi newspaper reported, according to Al Jazeera, with the list open to expansion as Tokyo signs new bilateral agreements.

On the industrial side

The rule change lands as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries prepares to build three warships for Australia's navy under a $7.15 billion deal. Tokyo is seeking to counter regional security threats and back partners engaged in active conflicts, CNBC reported.

Takaichi framed the shift as a response to deteriorating external conditions rather than a rethink of Japanese identity. "In an increasingly severe security environment, no single country can now protect its own peace and security alone," she said, according to a Google translation of her post cited by CNBC.

The constitutional backdrop

Article 9 of Japan's post-war constitution renounced war. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration reinterpreted the clause in 2014 to let the Self-Defense Forces play a larger role in peacekeeping and allied defense, but direct lethal-weapons exports remained off-limits until this week.

Takaichi sought to blunt the symbolism. "There is absolutely no change in our commitment to upholding the path and fundamental principles we have followed as a peace-loving nation for over 80 years since the war," she wrote on X, adding that Tokyo would make "even more rigorous and cautious judgments on whether transfers are permissible" under the new system.

The domestic objection

Opponents have said the shift could exacerbate global tensions, CNBC reported, with protesters in recent weeks waving flags reading "No War" and voicing support for Article 9. No right-of-center reporting on the reversal was accessible in today's source set, and neither wire detailed the positions of Japan's opposition parties on the cabinet's decision.

The first test of the new regime will be the pace at which Tokyo moves from the Australian warship contract to additional deals with the 17 eligible buyers, and whether the Chunichi list expands as more governments sign bilateral frameworks with Japan.