The Yomiuri Shimbun
Former Keidanren Chairman Sadayuki Sakakibara, second from left, greets attendees at the beginning of a meeting of a Defense Ministry expert panel, which he chairs, on Friday at the ministry’s building.
17:35 JST, September 19, 2025
An expert panel of the Defense Ministry suggested in a report finalized Friday that exporting defense equipment without restrictions to friendly countries facing external threats could be an option.
The report, which outlines recommendations for enhancing defense capabilities, was submitted to Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on the same day.
The report emphasized that efforts to strengthen deterrence “should be reviewed habitually” in light of changing international circumstances. It also called for unrestricted exports of defense equipment to friendly nations under threat from other nations, flexible revisions to the nation’s Defense Buildup Program and the introduction of new strategic equipment.
The report cited ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and Chinese military pressure in the area around Taiwan, noting, “Competition among nations is growing increasingly complex, and domination by force is becoming rampant.” It mentioned that advances in technology “have already significantly changed how battles are fought on the battlefield.”
It added, “Further reinforcement of deterrence and response capabilities is a time-sensitive matter.”
The report also suggested moving up the schedule for revising the Defense Buildup Program, which stipulates equipment procurement plans for fiscal 2023-2027. “Consideration should be given to mechanisms to increase the flexibility of things such as the target periods and the cycle on which [these plans] are formulated and revised,” it stated.
Japan aims to increase its security-related expenditures to an amount equivalent to 2% of the nation’s gross domestic product. The report argued that this goal is “important as a demonstration of national will” and pointed to the necessity of securing financial resources, stating, “[The government] should explain about the measures that are needed to further enhance defense capabilities, giving clear reasons.” However, they did not lay out any specific numerical targets.
The report advised that equipment exports “should be actively promoted” as they “lead to growth through the expansion of the defense industry’s sales channels.”
The Implementation Guidelines for Japan’s Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology stipulate that finished defense equipment may be exported for use in only five types of activities — rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and minesweeping. The report suggested that “an approach of not imposing restrictions on exports” to countries friendly with Japan that face threats from other nations is “one option.”
The report cited several potential concrete measures to strengthen deterrence, including introducing unmanned equipment, submarines equipped with vertical launching systems (VLS) for missiles and equipment contributing to building a defense posture on the Pacific side.
It suggested exploring the use of “next-generation power” for long-range, long-duration operations by VLS-equipped submarines, envisioning using solid-state batteries and nuclear power, which have longer lifespans than current mainstream lithium-ion batteries.
As many private companies are now withdrawing from the defense sector, the report proposed introducing state-owned defense factories. It also suggested promoting consolidation among small and medium-sized enterprises with weak management foundations as a way to strengthen the country’s defense industrial base.
The 17-member expert panel was established in February 2024 chaired by Sadayuki Sakakibara, former chairman of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), along with University of Tokyo Prof. Emeritus Shinichi Kitaoka and The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings President Toshikazu Yamaguchi.
