Japan, coalition parties coordinate review of defense equipment transfer guidelines

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito have begun coordinating their views on a review of guidelines for the overseas transfer of defense equipment ahead of the talks likely to be held in May, officials from the government and the ruling coalition parties said.

The guidelines govern the application of the Three Principles on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology that specify the conditions for overseas transfers.

The United States and European countries increase military support for Ukraine against Russia's continued aggression, and the focus will be on how much defense equipment applicable for transfer overseas would be expanded.

Under the current guidelines, the type of defense equipment that is transferable to countries with which Japan has a cooperative security relationship is limited to five areas: rescue, transportation, surveillance and minesweeping.

The guidelines for providing defense equipment to Ukraine state that it be carried out based on paragraph 3 of Article 116 of the Self-Defense Forces Law, which allows the government to transfer disused items to developing regions. It does not allow the transfer of arms or ammunition.

In the National Security Strategy revised at the end of last year, it was made clear that the guidelines for applying the three principles would be subject to review.

The transfer of defense equipment is an important political means for extending assistance and so forth to a country under invasion, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference on Friday. The government has to do a lot of the work to get to its conclusion in order to complete the review of the system. The United States has announced that it will provide Ukraine with M 1 Abrams tanks, regarded as the world's most powerful battle tank, while Germany has pledged an advanced tank, its Leopard 2. Japan has limited the provisions of such items as bullet-proof vests and helmets.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised that Japan will provide $30 million in defense equipment via the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's NATO fund, as promised by prime minister Fumio Kishida. This is premised on not including lethal weapons.

Discussions between the ruling parties are expected to begin in earnest in May after the unified local elections in April. The parties might find it difficult to get on the same page because of the prevailing view within the LDP in favor of including lethal weapons, but a more cautious view runs strong within Komeito.