JAPAN PERSPECTIVE

The Japan Times and Kyodo News cover the decision with the measured tone of a country that knows it's crossing a historic Rubicon. Kyodo quotes Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara: Japan 'will continue to adhere to the fundamental principles of a peaceful state.' But behind the rhetoric, the facts are radical: the 'Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment' that limited exports to five non-lethal categories (rescue, transport, surveillance, warning, mine-sweeping) have been scrapped.

Kyodo provides a crucial detail that few foreign outlets relay: the exceptions for 'special circumstances' take into account 'Japan's security needs and US military operations in the Indo-Pacific region.' In other words, Japan has just legalized arms sales to conflict zones if the United States is involved. The Japan Times adds that Prime Minister Takaichi, a 'national security hawk,' had already declared in November that Japan could intervene militarily if Taiwan were attacked.

Japanese media recalls the constitutional context: Article 9 of the 1947 Constitution renounces war and prohibits maintaining armed forces. In practice, Japan's Self-Defense Forces are a first-tier military. This vote buries the legal fiction that has allowed Japan to play both sides for 80 years.