Japan considers buying US F-35B fighter jets

(Baonghean.vn) - The Japanese Ministry of Defense is planning to purchase the US's 5th generation F-35B fighter jet with superior capabilities to equip the Japanese military's helicopter carriers, in order to counter China's increasing military activities in surrounding waters.

US F-35B aircraft. Photo: US Navy

The purchase of the next-generation F-35B fighter jets will in effect allow Japan to use its helicopter carriers as light airfields, Kyodo reported, in what could be seen as a change in Japan's defense policy, which is banned from possessing attack aircraft carriers.

The F-35B fighter jet, capable of short take-offs and vertical landings, would be useful in countering China's increasingly assertive actions at sea.

The aircraft are expected to boost the defense capabilities of the remote islands in northwestern Japan, which have only short runways, Kyodo reported.

In Japan, the US has deployed 10 F-35 aircraft at the Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi prefecture on Honsu Island. This is also the first overseas base of the US Army to deploy this modern aircraft. In addition, with the addition of the F-35B force of the US Marine Corps, the number of US 5th generation fighters in Japan will increase to 16.

Experts say Japan's consideration of purchasing F-35B aircraft affirms the US-Japan alliance under US President Donald Trump and meets the need to protect allies from threats in Northeast Asia.

However, the move could trigger a strong reaction from China and other neighboring countries, as these countries may argue that it contradicts Japan's 'self-defense-oriented policy' under its pacifist Constitution.

America and Russia

(According to TASS)