Tokyo, April 21 (NationPress) The Japanese government has officially amended the three principles governing the transfer of defense equipment and technology along with their implementation guidelines on Tuesday, permitting the export of weapons, including those with lethal capabilities, amid significant protests, according to local media reports.

This revision eliminates prior regulations that restricted Japan's defense exports to five non-combat categories: rescue, transport, warning, surveillance, and minesweeping.

Now, defense equipment will be classified into "weapons" and "non-weapons" categories, depending on their lethality or destructive potential, as reported by Xinhua and cited by Kyodo News.

The update allows for unrestricted exports of non-weapons, such as warning and control radar systems, while enabling the sale of previously banned weapons, including destroyers and missiles, to nations that have agreements with Japan concerning the protection of classified defense information.

According to Kyodo News, this adjustment signifies a major transformation in Japan's defense policy, a nation that has branded itself a "peace-loving country" under its war-renouncing Constitution since its defeat in World War II.

While the revisions generally forbid the export of arms to nations engaged in active conflicts, they provide for exceptions in "special circumstances" that consider Japan's security requirements.

Under the new guidelines, arms exports will no longer require prior approval from Parliament. The National Security Council will handle the decisions, with the Diet being informed only after the fact.

This lack of parliamentary involvement has faced backlash from opposition parties, which argue that prior approval is crucial to avoid Japan becoming entangled in escalating conflicts or arms races.

Since the announcement of this revision, there has been widespread concern and backlash across Japan, leading to massive protests.

During a rally on April 16 in front of the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo, demonstrators displayed signs stating "Oppose lifting the five-category restriction," "No to arms exports," and "Japan must not become a merchant of death," while chanting slogans like "No repeating past mistakes" and "We reject war." Participants voiced serious concerns, warning that this shift could represent a drastic move away from Japan's long-held pacifist principles.

The changes, sanctioned by the Cabinet and the National Security Council, align with the commencement of a three-day spring festival at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japan's militarism and wartime aggression.

Takaichi delivered a ritual "masakaki" tree offering to the contentious shrine, which honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II.