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The move is designed to make the country
better able to defend itself against a more aggressive China and revanchist
Russia.
By
Keitaro Ohno, a
leading defense official in Japan’s parliament, told me and a small group of US
reporters in his Tokyo office on Tuesday that the government will announce the
decision during a rollout of new defense guidelines next week.
It’s a big
purchase for Japan, as each F-35 costs about $100 million. The goal, Ohno said,
is to replace 147 older fighter jets with the more modern planes, giving the
country greater capabilities to defend itself military.
But global
reactions will likely differ strongly. The news will surely please President
Donald Trump, who has long criticized
Japan for not
investing enough in America’s economy.
But it will
almost certainly anger China, Japan’s biggest regional military competitor.
That’s because not only will the purchase greatly improve Japan’s air defenses, it will also help the country
develop closer ties with the US — right as China and the US are locked in an
increasingly high-stakes trade war.
Japan’s desire
for America’s high-tech F-35 planes, which have stealth capabilities, has long
been known, and Japanese officials have signaled the decision in recent weeks.
But this is the first time a senior Japanese official has confirmed that Japan
plans to make the sizable purchase.
The New York Times also reported on Tuesday that Japan
plans to convert some of its biggest warships into aircraft carriers that could
carry the new F-35s. That would add Japan to the small club of countries with
an aircraft carrier — further adding to rising tensions with China.
Japan is becoming more advanced militarily
Japan’s
military is called the Self-Defense Forces — and that’s not just an artful
euphemism for “armed forces.” It’s called that because, as outlined in the
country’s post-WWII constitution, it’s only authorized to defend the nation
from threats and is barred from attacking any other forces outright.
Which means the
new F-35s probably won’t be attacking any Chinese ships anytime soon.But the
purchase of the more capable aircraft — some of which can take off vertically
as well as in the normal way — adds firepower to Japan’s forces.
It will also
make the country’s military more able to operate alongside American troops, as
they will both have the same warplanes now.
It’s still
possible Japan could change its mind, though. An economic downturn or a defeat
for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling party in next year’s elections could
potentially force a rethink in the decision.
But neither of
those outcomes seem particularly likely right now, which means Japan’s
militarily will probably feature a whole new flock of shiny new American
warplanes in the near future.
Source: www.vox.com
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Japan to buy at least 20 more F-35A stealth fighters, sources sayJapan may buy up to 40 vertical takeoff F-35B fighters
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Japan considers refitting helicopter carrier for stealth fighters: gov't sources
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