Why Japan’s advanced fighter project may get Canadian tailwinds

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.

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.