Gates recommends F-35 as Japan`s next main striker: sources

WASHINGTON, May 23 Kyodo -
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended the F-35 fighter jet to
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada early this month as Japan's
next-generation mainstay fighter jet, sources close to Japan-U.S. relations
said Saturday.
Although Tokyo has yet to give up on efforts to acquire the higher-performance
F-22 stealth jet, Gates' suggestion is expected to force it to seriously
consider the F-35 in lieu of the F-22.
The sources said Gates, in a meeting with Hamada at the Pentagon on May 1,
touted the F-35 as an excellent aircraft as he explained his earlier proposal
to end production of the F-22 as part of a major review of his department's
spending priorities.
Washington will send Michael Schiffer, deputy assistant secretary of defense
for East Asia, to Japan later this month to discuss this issue with Japanese
officials, they said.
A Japanese official who briefed reporters after the talks said Gates noted any
exports of the F-22 are currently forbidden under U.S. law and stopped short of
explaining his own proposal in detail.
Under Gates' recommendation, production of the F-22 would be halted at 187. The
Lockheed Martin Corp.-built jet costs $140 million apiece.
The F-22 has been Tokyo's top priority due to its high stealth capability to
evade radar detection, mobility at supersonic speed and use by the U.S. Air
Force, with which Japan's Air Self-Defense Force would engage in joint
operations in the event of an attack on Japan.
Japan is continuing to study six models for successor aircraft to the aging
F-4EJ fighter fleet.
The six are the F-22, F/A-18 and F-15FX of the United States, the F-35, now
being developed by the United States, Britain and others, the Eurofighter, made
by a consortium of European manufacturers, and the Rafale of France. Only the
F-22 and F-35 are stealth fighters.
The F-22 fighter jet entered the U.S. combat fleet in December 2005 after 20
years of development. Export of the jet is currently prohibited under U.S. law.
Japan delayed the selection of a next-generation mainstay fighter jet as the
U.S. ban on F-22 exports continued.
As a stopgap measure, Tokyo decided last December to upgrade a total of 48 F-15
strikers in the ASDF fleet by the end of March 2010.
A U.S. official told Kyodo News that the F-22 cannot be a realistic choice for
Japan at the moment.
Selecting the F-35 could also be a problem for Japan.
As the jet is still under development and expected to be fully deployed around
2014, Tokyo's switch from the F-4EJ fleet would be delayed further.
==Kyodo