Japan eases decades-old weapons export ban

The Japanese government on Tuesday announced a controversial decision to relax a decades-old, self- imposed ban on weapons exports, in a political shift that will allow the nation to jointly participate it arms development and production with other countries.

Following the official announcement being confirmed in a report delivered to local media organizations, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said in a press briefing Tuesday that the decision to reverse the ban will pave the way for Japan to participate in joint weapons development projects that are primarily associated with humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.

"Japan and the U.S. have jointly conducted weapons research and development to step up their security alliance, but that's not enough as Japan is expected to play a greater role in international peacekeeping," Fujimura said in a statement.

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