Why Japan’s advanced fighter project may get Canadian tailwinds

A concept design of the Global Combat Air Programme sixth-generation fighter jet displayed at the 2024 Farnborough International Air Show.

Photo: AFP Japan could get a boost in its push for a next-generation fighter jet if Canada joins a multinational consortium backing the aircraft’s development, as Tokyo aims to narrow the gap with China’s fast-modernising air force.

The Canadian government said it intended to take part in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), currently involving Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, the Asahi newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Japan is planning to replace its ageing F-2 fleet with a sixth-generation stealth fighter dubbed the Tempest.

According to the report, Canada is not planning to get involved in development but would consider the aircraft’s suitability for its defence needs, including for purchase.

Set to be formalised at a meeting of the defence ministers of the four nations in the UK as early as July, the move signals Ottawa’s aim to diversify from US military equipment for its defence needs, at a time when its ties with Washington are strained.

Canada’s involvement was discussed when Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Japan in March for talks aimed at enhancing the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Under the partnership, Japan, Canada and nine other members pledge to lower trade barriers and increase the flow of goods among them.

In 2017, US President Donald Trump removed the US as a member but said in the following year that Washington might rejoin. “This is a positive for the project because governments that get involved at the development stage are much more likely to put money in and then buy the end product,” said Garren Mulloy, a professor of international relations at Daito Bunka University and a specialist in military issues, adding that it might be a good fit for Canada’s air force.

An F-2 fighter jet takes part in a live-fire exercise conducted by the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force in Gotemba in 2022.

Japan aims to replace its F-2 with a sixth-generation stealth fighter dubbed the Tempest.

Photo: AFP Originally outlined in 2001, the project did not take off until 2022, when Japan, the UK and Italy agreed to push ahead to develop the multirole fighter.

A demonstration flight is scheduled next year, with 2035 set as the target for the aircraft’s launch, although there are doubts about the timeline. “Canada’s defence procurement has been bad for some years and, in particular, there were problems with t

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