May 18, 2026

Nearly 60 percent of respondents in a Kyodo News opinion poll opposed the Japanese government's decision to lift restrictions on exports of lethal weapons, the latest survey showing public unease over a major security policy shift as many Japanese netizens criticized that it could push Japan further away from its postwar pacifist principles and turn the country into what some called a "nation of death merchants."

The poll showed that 57.2 percent of respondents opposed lifting the ban on exports of lethal weapons as part of the government's shift in security policy, while 37.1 percent of respondents supported, the Kyodo News released on Sunday. 

The report, without providing further details, was reposted and highlighted in headlines by many Japanese media outlets on Sunday and Monday. 

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1361283.shtml