The Government’s approval will allow exporting next-generation fighter jets as Japan joined the British-Italian program called the Tempest in December 2022, which would enter service in 2035.

The joint project, known as the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), is based in the United Kingdom and is in its early stages.

Japan’s Executive approved revising national regulations on transferring military technology and equipment to allow the joint production of lethal weapons and their sale to countries not involved in their development.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi argued that “transferring finished products from Japan to countries different to partner countries is necessary to achieve a fighter aircraft with the necessary performance and not to jeopardize Japan’s defense.”

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated that the changes adopted do not mean “abandoning the basic philosophy of a pacifist nation.”

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