US ambassador praises Japan's military overhaul, allowing export of Patriot missiles

A U.S. ambassador praised Japan for its contributions to the reform and modernization of the alliance between the U.S. and Japan during a meeting on Wednesday.

In the latest move, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government on Friday eased its postwar ban on lethal weapons exports, a move seen as a major break from Japan's postwar self-defense-only principle. It also approved a 16.5% increase in defense spending next year to a record $56 billion with a focus on missile strike and defense capabilities.

The revision to the arms transfer policy allows Japan to export weapons and components made in Japan under foreign licenses to the licensing nations. It's also a first major revision of Japan’s arms export ban since an earlier easing on non-lethal weapons transfer in 2014. Kishida's government is currently in the process of further easing the policy to allow sale to third countries of jointly developed lethal weapons, like a next-generation fighter jet Japan is co-developing with Britain and Italy.