Tokyo's moves further proof the past is not past, but present

The ghost of empire is rattling its saber again in Tokyo — and this time it comes wrapped in supply-chain jargon and startup-friendly procurement rules. Under the Sanae Takaichi government, Japan is performing a careful linguistic waltz: "economic security", "self-reliance", "diversification". Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi openly called for a "China-free" supply chain for defense equipment on Friday, baselessly citing China's "export controls" as an excuse.

But strip away the "diplomatic poetry" and the picture sharpens. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is loosening restrictions on exporting lethal weapons. It speaks less of prudence and more of a country cutting the ropes of its postwar "pacifist" moorings.

It is an extraordinary pivot for a nation whose Constitution renounces war as a "sovereign right". Now, the Takaichi government is greasing the skids for arms exports that would have been unthinkable a decade ago, while fast-tracking defense start-ups like it were a Silicon Valley pitch day.