Recent remarks by Japanese defense officials raise cause for concern. In a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Hanoi on Oct. 11, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said that his ministry thinks that Japan's long-standing ban on weapons exports should be revised. He also expressed hope that such a change would be considered when the defense program outline is revised later this year. Mr. Kitazawa apparently believes that the arms-export ban should be revised because Japan cannot take part in joint development of equipment for the next-generation jet fighter and because Japan's defense industry is growing weak.

On Oct. 14, Prime Minister Naoto Kan told the Upper House Budget Committee that he has no intention of altering the ban. But just two days earlier, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku broached the possibility of a revision. He said that there would be discussions on whether to revise the current policy to make it more appropriate for the 21st century.

These remarks demonstrate that the Kan administration lacks consensus on the weapons-exports ban. This principle was first formed by the Sato Cabinet in 1967, and was strengthened in 1976 by the Miki Cabinet, which unconditionally banned weapons exports.

Currently there are exceptions to the ban allowing the provision of weapons technology to the United States, joint technology development and production for missile defense, and the export of anti-piracy patrol boats. But the fundamental ban on weapons exports still stands. The government should realize that this ban, along with the defense-only military policy and its "three point" nonnuclear policy, serves as an important guiding principle for Japan. Japan has deliberately shunned becoming a military power, and its pacifist principles have helped it to gain the trust of other countries.

The weapons-export ban demonstrates that the government will not allow Japanese firms to become merchants of death and that Japan will not become a country that relies on its defense industry for its prosperity. Government officials who support such a change should realize that the weapons-export ban serves as an important diplomatic asset for peace-building efforts in conflict-ravaged countries. Japan's defense industry should strive to strengthen itself by developing ways to use its technology in non-military applications.