Photo/Illutration From left, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace pose for a photo before their trilateral meeting in Tokyo on March 16. (Nobuhiko Tajima)

A Japanese official will be the first chief of a joint project with Britain and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet, according to Japanese government sources.

Senior Defense Ministry officials are among the candidates to head the project, which will be led in rotation by officials from the three countries.

Headquartered in Britain, the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) will be officially launched sometime next year.

The next-generation aircraft, due to be completed by 2035, will replace the Air Self-Defense Force’s F-2.

The three companies involved in the project--Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and Leonardo SpA of Italy--will also establish a joint venture to be based in Britain.

Like its government counterpart, executives from the three companies will alternate every few years the leadership of the joint venture, with someone from Leonardo expected to be its first chief.

Although a Japanese leader will initially oversee the GCAP, the two organizations being based in Britain means Tokyo would lose out on playing a leadership role in the initiative.

The trilateral project comes at a time when Japanese politicians are discussing changes to the government’s policies of exporting defense equipment.

Although current guidelines limit the sales of arms to countries who co-developed them with Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government said sales of the next-generation fighter should be allowed to a third country.

(This article was written by Nobuhiko Tajima and Shino Matsuyama.)

Related News