The Japanese government is finalizing plans to ship domestically made Patriot missiles to the U.S., Nikkei has learned, marking a turning point in the nation's defense equipment export policy.
Government officials will iron out details with the ruling coalition. Japan's National Security Council will make the final decision, which could come by the end of the month.
For Japan, this will mark the first export of finished lethal military equipment since the three principles of defense equipment transfers were established in 2014. The move follows urging by Washington for Tokyo to ship Patriot interceptor missiles to the U.S.
The government will revise guidelines for the three principles on Friday at the earliest. The Patriot surface-to-air guided missiles are manufactured in Japan under license, but the current precepts only allow Japan to export components made under licenses.
The revisions will allow Japanese contractors to export finished defense goods to the nation where the manufacturing license originated. The changes will apply to the provision of interceptor missiles.
Under the revised framework, the country granting the manufacturing license will need Tokyo's approval before sending the Japanese-made defense goods to a third nation. Shipments to countries or regions party to a conflict will not be authorized.
Under one proposal, transfers of weapons via the U.S. would be permitted to countries in Europe and elsewhere that are not in a state of war.
Japan previously exported finished defense equipment to the Philippines, but they were nonlethal early-warning radar systems.
Photo: A Patriot missile defense system near the Defense Ministry in Tokyo © Yoshiyuki Tamai.
Source: Nikkei.
