TOKYO -- Japan plans to choose a partner as early as this summer for development of its successor to the F-2 fighter jet, weighing a proposal from the U.S., its closest ally, against a British offer that would give Tokyo greater control.
The Defense Ministry prefers to have Japan take the lead on the project -- something it has not done with fighter jet development since World War II -- to maintain the foundation of the country's defense industry and fortify the Self-Defense Forces' capabilities.
