TOKYO -- Japan's next-generation fighter plane will be compatible with U.S. weapons systems, according to a Defense Ministry proposal presented Wednesday to ruling party lawmakers amid questions over which country Tokyo will pick as a partner to build the jet, Nikkei has learned.
The stealth fighter, scheduled to replace the current F-2 in the mid-2030s, will be designed to accommodate network-centric warfare, ministry officials said at a meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party's defense committee. This concept has guided American military planning for two decades.
