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Japan researches future fighter technologies

22nd July 2020 - 12:00 GMT | by Koji Miyake in Tokyo

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Japan has not produced fighters since 2011, when the last F-2 was delivered. Therefore, Japanese companies such as Sumitomo Electric that produced radar domes and fuel tanks, and Daicel that made pilot emergency seats, have withdrawn from the defence sector. Indeed, maintaining a production line for fighters and retaining engineers is a big issue for Japan.

Japan’s MoD, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and defence industry would like to develop new domestic fighters, but Japan faces financial, technological and political obstacles. Government debt reached the equivalent of 200% of national GDP by the end of 2019, and much of

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