Paper short abstract:

Abe Shinzō's return was followed by broad changes to Japan's arms export policy. Integral to Abe's doctrine of a 'proactive pacifism', this paper traces the domestic security discourse driving these changes and looks at the institutions in place for governing the new weapons export policy.

Paper long abstract:

In stark contrast to the depiction of postwar Japan as a 'peace state' (heiwa kokka), on the cover of its June 2016 issue the liberal monthly Sekai asked if Japan will indeed become a 'merchant state of death' (shi no shōninkokka). This headline was meant to draw attention to the significant, yet little discussed, changes in the regulation of Japan's defense industry following Abe Shinzō's comeback in late 2012. As Abe pledged to 'reclaim' Japan's strength in international affairs, he lifted Japan's long-standing ban on weapons exports in April 2014 and established the 'Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology'. Japan has since pushed for joint research and export of arms technology. To facilitate this development, the Abe administration installed an Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) within the Ministry of Defense and allocated a staff of 1,800 to oversee Japan's new arms industry. The new agency is also meant to actively promote Japanese weapon exports. Moreover, the Abe government introduced funding to promote university-based research on weapon technology. Hence, tentative exports of Japan's Soryu submarine technology to Australia and the provision of seeker sensors for missile systems to the US and UK in 2014 epitomize the swift but fundamental change in Japan's arms policy.

This marks a clear departure from the 1967/1976 established restrictions on arms exports, which constituted the core of Japan's postwar pacifism. Tracing the domestic security discourse, the paper first explores the strategic causes driving Japan's changing arms export policy. In a second step, with a focus on the newly established National Security Council and the role of ATLA, the paper discusses the policy-making and screen mechanisms in place for governing Japan's new arms export policy. In sum, this paper illustrates how Japan's new arms export policy is an integral part of its evolving security doctrine of 'proactive contribution to peace' designed to strengthen old and to establish new security partnerships and to hedge a rising China.

Keywords: Japanese national security, arms exports, decision-making, proactive contribution to peace, Abe Shinzō