By Rick Mendenhall
It’s looking like 1985 because
Japan is exporting again. This time, however, “Made in Japan” will be etched in
Soryu Class Submarines instead of Sony Walkmans. In April, Japan relaxed
its almost half century policy against exporting military goods and technology.
Since this move, a host of East and South Asian nations swooped in to forge new
military trade agreements with Japan. Vietnam and the Philippines have
purchased patrol
ships, and a deal for Australia to purchase submarines is about to be announced.
Japan’s policy shift though throbs
with domestic constitutional implications. Article Nine of Japan’s Constitution,
written in the post-WW2 era, forever forbade Japan’s right to wage war. While
manufacture and trade of weaponry isn’t expressly banned by the Constitution, it
runs contrary to the pacifistic sentiment many Japanese embrace. In an attempt
to temper the new policy, Japan’s government, headed by Shinzo Abe, has stressed
they would not export military goods to countries involved in international
conflicts. Furthermore, the deals have not included attack weapons like tanks
or warplanes. Ostensibly, all exports could be used for defensive purposes, so
would not clash with constitutional sentiment.
