路透社报道发现，随着特朗普对盟友的安全承诺产生动摇，以及伊朗和乌克兰的冲突消耗了美国的武器供应，日本即将放宽的武器出口规则引发了从华沙到马尼拉的强烈兴趣。
日本首相高市早苗领导的执政党本周批准了这些修改，旨在振兴这个和平主义国家的军事工业基础。三名政府官员向路透社透露，政府最快将于本月正式通过新规则。
尽管自二战以来日本基本与全球武器市场隔绝，但其今年的军事支出高达600亿美元，足以维持一支具备制造潜艇和战斗机等先进系统能力的庞大国防工业体系。潜在的新客户包括正在进行现代化建设的波兰军队和菲律宾海军。
据官员透露，高市早苗政府可能批准的首批交易之一是向菲律宾出口二手护卫舰。菲律宾目前在中国南海与中方处于海上对峙状态。官员称，随后的销售可能涉及导弹防御系统。
波兰驻日大使馆官员表示，华沙和东京可以帮助弥补彼此武库中的缺口，在反无人机和电子战系统等领域开展合作。波兰WB集团去年已与日本飞机制造商签署了初步的无人机协议。东芝和三菱电机的执行官表示，他们正在招聘员工并增加产能，以抓住这些新需求。
Japan's imminent easing of arms export rules has sparked strong interest from Warsaw to Manila, Reuters reporting found, as President Donald Trump wavers on security commitments to allies and the wars in Iran and Ukraine strain U.S. weapons supplies.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's ruling party approved the changes this week as she tries to invigorate the pacifist country's military industrial base. Her government will formally adopt the new rules as soon as this month, three Japanese government officials told Reuters.
Despite largely isolating itself from global arms markets since World War II, Japan spends enough on its own military - $60 billion this year - to sustain a sizeable defense industry capable of manufacturing advanced systems like submarines and fighter jets.
Among the potential new customers are the Polish military and the Philippine navy, which are undergoing modernization amid regional security challenges, according to Reuters interviews with Japanese officials and foreign diplomats in Tokyo. Defence contractors Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric are hiring staff and adding capacity to capitalize on demand, their executives said, providing previously unreported details.
One of the first deals Takaichi's government will likely approve are exports of used frigates to the Philippines, which is locked in maritime confrontation with Beijing in the South China Sea, according to two of the Japanese officials. The likely sale may be followed by missile defense systems, the officials said.
Warsaw and Tokyo can help plug gaps in each other's arsenals, cooperating in areas like anti-drone and electronic warfare systems, said Mariusz Boguszewski, deputy chief of mission at Poland's embassy in Japan.
"There are some bottlenecks that we can overcome having Japan on board," he added, without providing details of specific deals. Poland's WB Group, one of Europe's largest private defense contractors, last year signed a tentative drone deal with Japanese aircraft maker ShinMaywa.
Three other European diplomats said Japan's easing provided a chance to lessen their heavy dependence on U.S. weapons production, which is strained by conflicts. Trump's unpredictability, such as his threats to leave the NATO security alliance and invade Greenland, have also heightened the push to diversify, according to the diplomats, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Unmanned surface vehicle is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense show at Makuhari Messe in Chiba in 2023. Image: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
"Offers are coming from everywhere," said Masahiko Arai, senior vice president at Mitsubishi Electric's defense unit, which has been adding staff in London and Singapore to facilitate defense exports.
Takaichi's office declined to answer specific questions for this story, instead referring Reuters to a February 20 speech where she said she was reviewing the controls to bolster Japan's defense production and strengthen c