The Noda administration on Dec. 27 drastically relaxed Japan's long-standing weapons-export ban. For the second time, the Democratic Party of Japan government greatly changed Japan's defense policy without sufficient public discussions. In December 2010, it introduced the new concept of "dynamic defense capabilities," which could undermine Japan's basic postwar posture of "defense-only defense."
The decision this time could contradict the spirit of the Constitution, which renounces the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
Under the new policy, Japan will be able to "transfer defense-related equipment" to other nations if it is guaranteed that they will be used solely for peace building or humanitarian assistance and that they will not be transferred to other countries.