Japan to Jointly Develop New Fighter Jet with UK, Italy

Japan revealed on Friday that it will work with the UK to jointly develop its next-generation fighter plane. As Tokyo seeks to broaden defence cooperation outside its traditional partner, the United States, it also works with Italy.

The outdated F-2 fighter jets that Japan formerly co-developed with the United States will be replaced with the Mitsubishi F-X.

The next-generation combat aircraft, to be deployed in 2035, will be a combination of Japan's F-X and Britain's Tempest, a replacement for the Eurofighter Typhoon. The agreement will enable Britain to have a stronger presence in the Indo-Pacific area and provide Japan with more assistance in fending against China's growing aggression.

The announcement of the fighter jets came four days after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled spending goals for enhancing Japan's military strength, including a significant increase in defence spending over the following five years. The government will need an additional 4 trillion yen ($30 billion) in defence spending per year to reach the five-year spending target of 43 trillion yen ($316 billion). One-fourth of it will be paid for by tax increases.

The updated national security policy, whose release is anticipated later this month, is anticipated to provide the nation the ability to launch long-range missiles and conduct pre-emptive strikes. That is a significant and divisive departure from the self-defense only defence strategy Japan had embraced following its loss in World War II in 1945.

Japan has been enlarging its defence alliances with nations in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, Southeast Asian nations, and Europe, to offset the mounting threats from China and North Korea.

After Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a new bilateral security pact in October, Japan and Australia were scheduled to conduct "2+2" security talks of their foreign and defence ministers in Tokyo later on Friday to discuss further strengthening military ties. It addresses collaboration in the military, intelligence, and cybersecurity in light of China's rising aggressiveness.

According to defence ministry officials, Japan's new security strategy gives it a greater ability to launch strikes and it aims to increase joint drills in Australia, including fire drills that are challenging to execute at home.

The new aircraft, according to the Defense Ministry, will be a multi-role stealth fighter superior to the F-35 and the Eurofighter, equipped with cutting-edge networking and censors. The new aircraft is anticipated to replace 144 Eurofighters in the UK and 94 F-2s in Japan. and 94 Eurofighters in Italy, according to Japanese authorities.