Japan is scrapping a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change of its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to build up its arms industry and deepen cooperation with defense partners.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that "no single country can now protect its own peace and security alone." ...

The approval clears a final set of hurdles for Japan's postwar arms sales and facilitate its future sale of weapons such as a next-generation fighter jet and combat drones.

TOKYO — Japan on Tuesday scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change in its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to build up its arms industry amid worries over Chinese and North ...

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters at her office in Tokyo Monday, April 13, 2026, after holding telephone talks with her Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif. Security guards ...