Japan, Britain and Italy announced on Friday that they will jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035

Japan, Britain and Italy announced on Friday that they will jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035 in Tokyo's unique defense cooperation with nations other than the United States, a key security ally in the world as the  geopolitical situation becomes more unstable. 

The leaders of the countries said in a joint statement that through the fighter jet development program they will "build on our long-standing defense relationship"  which will "accelerate our advanced military capabilities and  technological lead as well as further strengthen your supplies. Chains and base of defense industry. Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Britain's BAE Systems plc and Italy's Leonardo S. will be the main contributors to the development, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

At a press conference in Tokyo, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said, "I hope that our cooperation this time will become the basis for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and European regions." will lead,” Hamada added. according to officials. For Britain and Italy, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the new fighter jet will replace their combined 240 Eurofighter jets, they said. 

We share the ambition that this aircraft should be the heart of a broader combat air system that will function across multiple domains," the joint statement said.

Tokyo promotes its security ties with NATO countries such as France and Germany. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the NATO summit in June, where he stressed the need for Japan-NATO cooperation to counter potential threats from authoritarian nations. like Russia and China. 

According to official information, Japan is also considering exporting the new fighter jet to other countries in the future. To ease arms exports, the Japanese government is expected to seek an overhaul of its strict  defense export policies when it updates its national security policy next week. Strict rules have long been in place in Japan's anti-war constitution.

Other companies joining the project include Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and engineering firm IHI Corp. from Japan, Rolls-Royce plc from Great Britain and the aerospace company Ge Avio S. from Italy, the ministry said. 

The Defense Ministry also issued a joint statement on Friday in which Washington expressed its support for Tokyo's fighter jet development project with  European partners. among other platforms,” they said. 

The two nations have pledged to begin concrete cooperation to that end next year, with Japanese officials saying this will include research and  development of drones that can help operate the new aircraft. Japan originally sought cooperation with U.S defense signs the development of new fighter aircraft, but due to strict U.S decided to look for other partners.

Rules on Confidentiality of Information. Hamada said Washington had no plans to develop a fighter jet in the same period and that this was one of the factors in the deal with Britain and Italy.