Japan Greenlights Fighter Jet Sales, Moving Away from ‘Pacifist’ Rules

The government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday relaxed Japan’s export controls on defense equipment, allowing the worldwide export of jet fighters designed under a trilateral agreement with Italy and the United Kingdom.

The new rules are a significant departure from Japan’s “pacifist” posture after World War II, although the exception is narrowly tailored to the tentatively named “Tempest” sixth-generation jet fighter. The project aims to put advanced fighters in the air by 2035 and marks the first time Japan has developed a defense project without the United States as a partner.

Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) currently relies on American-designed F-2, F-15, and F-35 fighters. The Tempest project aims to replace the aging single-seat Mitsubishi F-2, a version of the venerable F-16 Fighting Falcon. 

Japan is also importing the fifth-generation F-35 joint strike fighter from the United States and is working with the U.S. on more advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to accompany its fighters.

The JASDF presently has about 324 fourth- and fifth-generation fighters in its inventory, while China has 1,500, and Russia has more than 900. Both China and Russia are working on fielding new fifth-generation designs.

The fifth generation of jet fighters, the current state of the art, began with Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor. Planes in this class are distinguished by stealth capabilities and the ability to cruise at supersonic speed rather than using afterburners to achieve such speeds in short bursts.

The fifth generation was not terribly successful in the century-long history of combat aviation. The F-22 is no longer in production, and some of the other planes that the U.S., China, and Russia built struggle to meet the technical qualifications for a fifth-generation fighter. Maintenance problems and cost overruns plague almost every plane considered part of the fifth generation.

The sixth generation is still in the concept stage, but it will be distinguished by “connectivity” — seamless integration between manned fighters and friendly UAVs. The manned planes will also have extensive autonomous functions, freeing pilots to concentrate on the aerial battlefield.

Kishida’s Cabinet successfully argued that Japan must work with partner nations on joint projects to produce sixth-generation fighters, which, necessarily, required loosening the postwar “pacifist” restrictions on defense exports.

“The plan to make fighter jets with capabilities essential for the security of our nation must be realized to ensure that our nation’s defenses won’t be compromised,” said government spokesman Hayashi Yoshimasa.

Several concessions were made to win the support of the pacifist Komeito party, including case-by-case approval for all potential future defense equipment sales, guarantees that joint products like the new fighter would only be sold to allies that have signed strict defense and technology transfer agreements with Japan, and a rule that military equipment cannot be sold to countries involved in active conflicts.

Defense Minister Kihara Minoru said Tuesday that Japan remains committed to “the basic philosophy of a pacifist nation.”

That pacifist policy had to be adjusted due to growing security threats from Russia and, especially, China, which quickly denounced Japan’s new export rules.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian expressed “grave concern” over Japan’s decision on Tuesday.

“Given Japan’s not-too-distant history of militarist aggression, Japan’s military and security moves are closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community,” he said, referring to Imperial Japan’s conduct in World War II eight decades ago.

Lin claimed:

In recent years, Japan has been drastically readjusting its security policy, increasing defense spending year after year, relaxing restrictions on arms export and seeking military breakthroughs. These moves trigger serious concerns among Japan’s neighboring countries and the international community.

We urge Japan to earnestly respect the security concerns of neighboring countries, deeply reflect on its history of aggression, commit itself to the path of peaceful development and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions.

In truth, the “international community” is far more worried about modern China’s territorial aggression and rapid military buildup than Japan suddenly deciding to conquer the Pacific Rim because the UK and Italy helped it build a new jet fighter. 

Japan on Monday expressed “serious concern” about Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, especially its growing belligerence toward the Philippines in disputed waters.

WATCH — China, No! Chinese Coast Guard Harasses Filipino Ship, Leading to Boats Crashing

As the Japanese Foreign Ministry pointed out, China is using “dangerous actions” and endangering innocent lives to bully the Philippines away from the territory it rightfully owns under international arbitration. China lost decisively in court in 2017 and has been trying to seize the disputed territory by force since.

Japan is also seeking to develop a next-generation passenger plane on roughly the same timetable as its joint fighter project with the UK and Italy. Kyodo News reported on Wednesday that Japan’s Ministries of Economy, Trade, and Industry will commit $33 billion to the project over the next ten years.

Mitsubishi launched a project to create Japan’s first homegrown passenger jet in 2008. The project, known as SpaceJet, was canceled in 2023 due to technical issues and rising costs, ten years after the optimistic original deadline for rolling out a functional plane was missed. Mitsubishi postponed delivery six times before finally throwing in the towel.

The new government-managed passenger jet initiative will ostensibly be more open to outside assistance than Mitsubishi’s closely guarded in-house project, but it also has the ambitious goal of designing a plane that does not use traditional jet fuel. Instead, hydrogen or biofuels might fuel the new jet if the relevant engineering challenges can be overcome.