Japan should fully lift arms export ban: ex-security chief

TOKYO -- Japan should in principle allow exports of defense equipment as Tokyo faces its "toughest and most complicated" security environment in the postwar era, a former head of the country's National Security Secretariat told Nikkei recently.

Japan "should build a comprehensive, multifaceted system" to handle these security challenges, with bolstering its defense capabilities as a core element, said Shotaro Yachi, who served as the first NSS chief from 2014 to 2019.