Japan has revised its law on the use of atomic energy for the first time in 34 years.

The National Diet of Japan added a new purpose for Japan’s nuclear activities in the revision passed on Wednesday. The revision to the atomic energy law allows the state to use nuclear energy to guarantee the security of Japan, a far cry from the earlier version that limits the nation’s nuclear use to peaceful purposes, strictly prohibiting its use for military purposes.

The addition was not in a bill approved at a Cabinet meeting, but was made at the demand of the conservative Liberal Democracy Party through parliamentary discussions.

The Japanese parliament also deleted from an aerospace research law a clause that limits aerospace research activities to peaceful purposes. The deletion opens up the possibility for Japan to use aerospace research for military purposes.