Japan's ruling parties agreed Wednesday that the nation can export non-combat cars and vessels equipped with lethal weapons, despite its strict restrictions on overseas shipments of weapons.
A report compiled by lawmakers of the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito, however, said they remain divided on the permissibility of Japan exporting fighter jets jointly developed with other countries to third nations.
Itsunori Onodera, a former defense minister who heads the working group of the two parties on the issue, said at a press conference that the ruling bloc will resume discussions in the fall to hammer out a draft for revised rules.
The report comes as the government has become willing to relax its stringent "three principles" on the transfer of defense equipment and technology to prop up the domestic defense industry and support Ukraine by delivering weapons amid Russia's prolonged invasion.
So far, Japan has maintained its position that the three principles under its war-renouncing Constitution ban lethal weapons exports, except for items jointly developed or produced with other countries, which can be transferred among them.
The LDP, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has been eager to ease the rules, but Komeito has been reluctant to change them for fears that weapon exports could exacerbate armed conflicts and run counter to Japan's postwar pacifism.
Japan, meanwhile, has decided to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy by 2035.
The final products are expected to be shipped by the two European states to third nations, regardless of Tokyo's prohibition on weapons exports.
The report said the LDP and Komeito "reached a consensus" that Japan can export defense equipment with lethal weaponry to countries with which it collaborates on security matters, provided the purpose is for rescue, transportation, vigilance, surveillance or minesweeping.
As for the export of products resulting from international joint development, the two parties shared the view that Japan can transfer them directly to third nations, while emphasizing the need for a reasonable explanation to the public to justify such moves, according to the report.
It added some of the lawmakers expressed the opinion that exporting parts of weapons, such as old engines of fighter jets, should be permitted as long as the components themselves are not considered lethal.
Against a backdrop of its arms export regulations, Japan has provided defense products to Ukraine, including bulletproof vests and helmets, although Western countries have supplied missiles, tanks, fighter jets and other military apparatuses to Kyiv.
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