TIMELINE: Japan's decade-long march towards arms exports

FILE PHOTO: A Mogami-class frigate of Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force. Australia chose Japan as its partner in developing a new model of warship, according to announcements by both countries in 2025. - Ministry of Defence via The Yomiuri Shimbun

TOKYO: Japan has spent the past decade steadily dismantling some of the world's toughest arms export restrictions as it steps back from the postwar pacifism that shaped its security policy.

Here are the key events: