Difficult choice on Japan’s new stealth jet fighter looms over Tokyo air show
The government faces a crunch choice between ordering an industry-pleasing advanced stealth fighter or opting for a cheaper conventional combat jet that will deliver a bigger bang for taxpayers’ yen.
The strongest supporters of a cheaper conventional aircraft are officials close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the sources said. The Abe government has reversed a decade of defense cuts with spending reaching record levels. However, those increases are a fraction of the extra money China is spending every year on its military.
A cheaper fighter program, on the other hand, would free up funding for other purchases and a lower-cost jet that other nations could afford opens up the prospect of overseas sales that would further lower unit costs for the Self-Defense Forces.
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