Abe opens Pandora's box

China as victim of Japanese aggression has every reason to show concern that Japan is renewing arms exports

The Japanese cabinet on April 1 approved eased principles and guidelines on the transfer of defense equipment to replace the country's original Three Principles on Arms Exports. The Japanese government's "success" in renewing arms exports after decades of an absolute ban on the trade of defense equipment and technologies marks a major change in the country's defense and security policy and suggests that the Shinzo Abe cabinet has made an important step toward turning the country into a military power.

In order to realize the goal of making Japan a "normal military power" and restoring its "missing" national security defense mechanism and function, Japanese conservatives over the years have seen the country's self-imposed ban on security policy formed after World War II as a stumbling block or an "inhibiting magic phrase" and are eager to lift the restraints.