The Abe administration will treat the participation by Japanese makers in the U.S.-led global parts-sharing system for F-35 stealth jet fighter production as an exception to Japan's long-standing three-point ban on weapons exports.
The decision violates the spirit of not only the weapons export ban but also the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution.
The government has been weakening the ban through a series of decisions. The minimum that Japan should do now is demand that the parts-sharing system — the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment scheme — operate strictly in a transparent manner. More importantly, the government should adopt a measure to strengthen anew the ban on weapons exports.