AFP, Tokyo

Japan will ease decades-old arms export curbs, the government said yesterday, in a major policy shift that paves the way for the sale of lethal weapons overseas as Tokyo ramps up its defence ambitions.

The new rules end Japan’s self-imposed curb on sales of lethal arms as Tokyo seeks to enter the international arms market, hoping to bolster national defence as well as boost economic growth.

The move provoked an angry reaction from China, which vowed to resist provocations.

“Given that the security environment is becoming increasingly challenging, I believe that no country can now safeguard its own peace and security on its own,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters.

“In this context, I believe it is important to have partners who support one another in the area of defence equipment,” she said.

Still, she stressed that Japan’s “core principles” and “history” as a pacifist nation remain unchanged.

Exports had previously been limited to equipment classified under five categories: search and rescue, transportation, warning, surveillance and minesweeping.