Japan and the F-35s
Posted by ampontan on Sunday, March 11, 2012
VERY busy with paying work, so here’s something until I have more time. It’s a comment by Kiyotani Shin’ichi, a journalist specializing in military affairs and the Japan correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly, and who is often critical of Japanese procurement practices for weapons and military equipment. He was quoted in the 13 January edition of the weekly Shukan Post:
“This decision (to purchase F-35 fighter aircraft from the United States) will be fatal to Japan’s defense strategy. In the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (that starts next month), there are allocations to spend JPY 9.9 billion per aircraft. Ultimately, however, it is still unclear what the procurement costs will be, and it is possible the purchase price will be even higher.
“In addition, it’s been reported that the plane has serious technical difficulties, and it cannot be denied that the U.S. Department of Defense considered cancelling the development program before it was completed. Information on the assembly of critical parts is not being disclosed to the Japanese. This will be a serious blow to the Japanese defense industry, which has been focusing on maintaining the ability to develop and produce its own military aircraft. That we are adopting the F-35 in spite of all these problems provides an insight into the American attitude. The Japanese-American security relationship is undermining Japanese national defense from the root. This (decision) is mistaking the means for the end.”
The American refusal to provide information on parts to the Japanese is nothing new, by the way. Thirty years ago — yes, 30 years ago — I read an article in an American newspaper describing how the U.S. chose not to provide information on the navigational system (if I remember correctly) in a fighter plane. It was a new system, and the Americans wanted to keep it secret.
The Japanese thought that was unacceptable, for reasons having to do with maintenance, repair, and replacement at the least, so they developed their own system they could easily drop into the U.S. aircraft.
It turned out the Japanese equipment was superior to the new American equipment. When they found out about it, the Americans threatened unspecified (in the article) retaliatory measures unless the Japanese offered the system to them.
In other words, they forced Japan to give them information they refused to give Japan.
“Security alliance”, eh? I’m sure we can all come up with different terms that would be more appropriate.
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toadold said
The F-35 program is under a lot of US Domestic pressure right now. The concept is regarded as good but the execution has been flawed by the usual procurement problems. Politicians trying to get parts of the program for their district, gold plating and changing requirements as the program goes along and etc. With the current DOD budget restrictions the Air Force and Navy are thinking they may need the money for the next generation of unmanned aircraft instead of trying to keep up with the escalating cost and technical difficulties in the Program. Foreign countries that have vested into the program are having second thoughts. If they bail the cost per plane will get even higher. The Marines still want the jump jet version last I heard. Right now there is pressure to upgrade and produce more F-18s as the alternative.
japanspace said
Kiyotani is one of the most important journalist/ analyst voices in Japan on Defense issues- not afraid to speak his mind and with decades of knowledge under his belt. If I want to understand an issue I always give him a call and make sure to show his views in my work for Defense News. Sometimes I think he has a bit of an ax to grind, but he’s spot on about so many things- and a very good guy as well.
toadold said
In the eyes of a number of US Defense Department Officials Japan has blotted its copy book on security issues and has left them paranoid. It kind of started back in 1987 with the Toshiba 5-axis milling machine sales to Soviet Russia and continued on with the geek who loaded Aegis soft ware to a disk and took it home with him. There were some guy who were caught in Chinese honey traps also.
http://www.japanlaw.info/lawletter/april87/fdf.htm