The Japanese Arms Export Ban, known as the Three Arms Exports Ban, is a de facto law that governs Japanese export of military hardware outside of the country. The basis of the ban is the Three Principles on Arms Exports adopted by the National Diet of Japan in 1967 dealing with situations in which arms cannot be exported from Japan. The three principles are that arms exports were not allowed to go to:
As it had done during the Korean War in the 1950s, during the Vietnam War in the 1960s, Japan sold a large amount of materials to American forces. In 1966, it was reported by the Xinhua News Agency that up to 92% of the napalm being used in Vietnam was manufactured in Japan, and Nippon Yushi Corporation in Aichi prefecture was the suspected manufacturer. The company denied it was producing napalm, but the secretary-general of the plant's union stated that "almost anyone" could produce napalm using the chemicals produced by the company. Mainichi Shimbun found no proof that napalm bombs were being produced in Japan, but in 1966 the United States did ask for 4,000 Korean War-era napalm bombs at a former US Air Force base to be handed back.
On April 1, 2014, the total ban on arms exports was ended by the government of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe under the Three Principles on Arms Exports to Three Principles on Defense Equipment Transfers according to the guidelines of the National Security Strategy adopted on December 17, 2013. Following this, Japan made moves to sell Sōryū-class submarines to Australia and Kawasaki P-1maritime patrol aircraft to the United Kingdom, but these attempts were not successful. The SDF Law was amended to allow the sale of JSDF equipment at prices lower than the JSDF's original purchase price.
Arms exports
United States
Two retired MH-53E helicopters of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force were sold to the United States Navy in 2015 for their components. The United States was running short of parts for its own fleet of the aging aircraft. On December 24, 2018, it was announced that Tokyo was seriously considering selling their F-15s to Washington in order to acquire funds to purchase F-35s. Washington would consider selling the F-15s to friendly countries with weak air forces.
Philippines
The JMSDF planned to lease at least five TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines to conduct maritime patrols. From November 2016, to November 2017, six Philippine Navy pilots were trained to fly the aircraft at Tokushima Airport. Maintenance staff were also trained. Two aircraft were transferred free of charge in March 2017, and three more were to be transferred in 2018. The aircraft were ultimately donated rather than leased. The Ground Self-Defense Force retired its UH-1H helicopters in 2012. The Philippines had planned to buy 16 new Bell 412 EPI helicopters from Canada, but the deal collapsed. Canada was concerned about how the helicopters would be used. In 2017, Japan offered to supply around 40,000 spare parts for UH-1H aircraft to the Philippines. In 2018 it was announced that Japan would supply the parts to the Philippines free of charge. In March 2019, it was reported that an initial delivery of parts to the Philippine Air Force had been made and more parts were to arrive in August 2019. According to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippines is the first nation in the ASEAN nation to get military equipment from Japan.
India
There are also efforts to sell the ShinMaywa US-2 military flying boats to India.
New Zealand
New Zealand expressed interest in the Kawasaki C-2 aircraft and the Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft. New Zealand chose the P-8 Poseidon rather than the Kawasaki P-1.
Thailand
In 2016, efforts to sell an air-defense radar manufactured by Mitsubishi to Thailand were unsuccessful.
There were attempts to sell the C-2 to the United Arab Emirates.
Bor incident
South Korean soldiers in Bor, South Sudan were aided by JGSDF soldiers deployed to South Sudan as part of UNMISS when ammunition supplies were exhausted during an attack from December 19 to 22, 2013. During a National Security Council meeting, they ruled that JGSDF forces should provide ammunition to their South Korean counterparts. This aid was a "Contribution in Kind" scenario which went unused and was returned.
