According to The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports on March 5. Japan’s Ministry of Defense Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) decided to stop working on the domestically designed fifth-generation fighter The reason to Discontinue work is staggering costs and anticipated engineering pitfalls
Japan’s Ministry of Defense will purportedly not seek funds for the development of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ experimental fifth-generation fighter technology demonstrator X-2 “Shinshin” (formerly the ATD-X) when requests by agencies and ministries are compiled this summer for the fiscal 2019 defense budget.
As of this writing, Japan’s MoD has not publicly commented on the March 5 report.
The ASDF now has around 200 F-15 fighter jets, 50 F-4s and 90 F-2s. One F-35A fighter jet has been delivered.
The government of japan placed an order to purchase 42 F35 stealth fighters to replace the F-4. After the purchase of F35 he future of X-2 was uncertain and the decision to scrap the program was not unexpected for Japan defense watchers they were predicting it for quiet a long time ago . Now it seems that decision is finally made
The Japanese MoD plans to induct up to 100 fifth-generation fighter jets by the 2030s to replace F-2 fighter jets
A contract, estimated to be worth over $40 billion, was initially expected to be awarded this summer, but there has been no official progress report on the tender so far in 2018 and the decision will most likely be postponed.
Now rather making its own fifth generation Fighter jets Japan is now expected to collaborate with the U.S. defense industry and other international partners to either jointly develop a next-generation stealth fighter jet .Japan is looking to convince Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government to share fifth-generation aircraft technology with Japan’s defense industry
According to various sources, the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) is also interested in purchasing the F-35B – the U.S. Marine Corps variant of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter capable of vertical or short takeoffs and vertical landings without requiring a catapult launcher. JSDF would deploy the aircraft on Japanese islands skirting the East China Sea and aboard Izumo-class helicopter carriers, which will make the acquisition of such platforms a politically sensitive subject in Japan.
