Why always behind closed doors…Diet questioning reveals Japan’s complicity in the “development and export of lethal weapons” is a serious situation

I had no idea that our blood money was being used to “develop lethal weapons.

We are not even discussing how the jointly developed lethal weapons will be used in the future. First of all, the ruling parties are now discussing the issue. We would like to make a decision as a government after carefully observing the outcome of the discussions.

This was Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s response to a question by Diet member Taku Yamazoe at the House of Councilors Budget Committee on November 1.

In his questioning that day, the prime minister raised a number of issues, including consumption tax cuts, employment, the wage gap between men and women, non-regular workers, PFAS, and Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

When this issue was posted on social networking sites, it quickly spread. The following comments were made one after another.

• ‘How the use of lethal weapons is being discussed at all… ……’
• I had no idea that our blood money was being used to develop lethal weapons.
• I never thought such a serious issue could be decided by a cabinet decision.”

What is the current state of the arms export issue? We visited Mr. Taku Yamazoe, a member of the House of Councilors, to ask him about this issue once again.

Supporting Developing Countries with “Weapons”?

I believe that the Cabinet decision on the three security documents last December triggered a major shift in the trend toward expanding arms exports, including the issue of next-generation fighter jets, which are being jointly developed by Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

In addition to next-generation fighter aircraft, we are trying to allow licensed production of weapons, mainly weapons produced in Japan under license from the U.S. arms industry, to be exported to third countries. In addition, Japan has been saying that its ODA is non-military cooperation, but it has created a mechanism called OSA (Official Security Assistance) to provide equipment to developing countries under the guise of assistance to developing countries.

The current situation is that all of these measures are being promoted in order to ‘create a desirable security environment for our country.

Mr. Taku Yamazoe, a member of the Diet, explains.

Since the “Three Principles on Arms Exports” in 1967, Japan, under Article 9 of the Constitution, has taken the position that it will not export arms that could encourage international conflicts. The Three Principles on Arms Exports were completely revised and changed to the “Three Principles on Defense Equipment Transfer,” a 180-degree turnaround from the principles that had been considered national policy.

Arms Export Rules Changed in “Secret Talks” without Explanation to the Public

Under the “Three Principles on the Transfer of Defense Equipment,” arms exports are now possible in principle to only very exceptional countries where they are prohibited. However, even so, exporting even lethal weapons such as fighter jets, for example, was not considered at the time, nor was it explained as such by the government.

However, a major shift toward making the military industry a growth industry by promoting arms exports on a large scale is now underway through “behind-closed-doors” talks, without any explanation to the public.

Many people are probably unaware of the development and export plan for the next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, the U.K., and Italy; the fact that an Israeli military company and a Japanese trading company have formed an alliance to sell arms to Japan; and the fact that the rules on arms exports are being reviewed by the autocratic government.

Why is it that important matters are always decided behind closed doors?

Why are important decisions always made behind closed doors?

From early spring through June and July, public opinion polls conducted by various news organizations asking whether people were for or against allowing the export of weapons capable of killing and wounding showed that 60-70% were against the idea. In a questioning of witnesses in the Diet, it was pointed out that exporting arms and trying to make a profit is “devolving into a merchant nation of death.

However, when we asked the Diet about this issue, they refused to answer, saying, “The ruling parties are currently discussing this issue.

If the Cabinet decides on the issue, it is expected that they will say that the decision has already been made and not change it. I believe that this is a disrespectful attitude toward the Diet, which is the seat of democracy.