48 Pct of Japanese Oppose Exporting Lethal Weapons: Jiji Poll

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–Nearly half of Japanese people oppose lifting their country’s export ban on lethal weapons, a Jiji Press public opinion poll showed Thursday. In the March survey, 48.2 pct of respondents rejected the ruling coalition’s proposal to allow exports of such weapons. Meanwhile, 27.0 pct supported the idea, and 24.8 pct were undecided. In the August 2023 survey, 16.5 pct supported the export of lethal weapons, and 60.4 pct opposed it. On Friday, the Liberal Democratic Party-Japan Innovation Party coalition submitted the proposal to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, as her government plans to relax the operational guidelines for Japan’s three principles on the transfer of defense equipment and technology as early as this spring. Among respondents who support the LDP, support for the ruling coalition’s proposal came to 39.2 pct, while opposition stood at 37.2 pct. Among JIP supporters, the support rate was 42.9 pct, outpacing 28.6 pct who opposed the proposal. Meanwhile, opposition was dominant among respondents who support other parties, except for Sanseito. Among Centrist Reform Alliance supporters, 16.7 pct supported the export of lethal weapons, while 61.9 pct opposed it. Among Democratic Party for the People supporters, 29.5 pct backed it and 52.3 pct disapproved. The latest survey covered 2,000 people aged 18 or older nationwide over four days through Monday. Valid responses came from 57.5 pct of them. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]