When Japan’s Mitsubishi “Zero” fighter jet took to the skies in the early 1940s, it quickly gained a reputation as lethal in dogfights thanks to its agility and speed.
It was one of the most significant achievements of a defense industry that collapsed following Tokyo’s wartime defeat.
Eight decades after Japan enshrined a commitment to pacifism in its post-WWII constitution, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is on a mission to revive the sector.
She’s pursuing a vision of a more powerful nation, able to stand up to rising threats from China and North Korea without simply relying on the US for protection.
Takaichi’s cabinet approved legal changes this week that will for the first time since the war allow Japan to export lethal military equipment such as missiles, fighter jets and warships.
Her hope is that the defense industry can flourish by tapping into soaring global demand, in turn developing a more robust supply of home-grown materiel for Japan’s military.
The moment appears ripe.
Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are driving innovation and orders. Takaichi is offering government money for Japanese companies to invest in defense R&D.
China has taken notice, issuing warnings about a revival of Tokyo’s past militarism under which it suffered.
There is some domestic concern about the move: A recent poll found 67% of respondents opposed weapons exports.
But one big deal has already been done to provide Australia with warships, and Takaichi’s approval is holding up well.
She is in any case not alone, with Germany also casting off postwar reticence and ramping up its defense capabilities.
In the coming weeks Takaichi and her defense minister are planning trips to Southeast Asian countries that are in the market for equipment to respond to challenges from Beijing.
Orders from those nations could be among the first steps to a renaissance of Japanese military manufacturing. — Alastair Gale