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.
Earlier, it was reported that Japan’s ruling bloc had proposed a plan to allow lethal arms exports.
AloJapan.com