Japan is considering building its own fighter jets after years of playing second fiddle in a US construction partnership, a report said Thursday, in a move likely to stoke fears of its military resurgence among Asian neighbours.
Japan’s attempt in the 1980s to build its first purely domestic fighters since World War II faced US resistance and resulted in joint US-Japan development and production of the F-2, the Nikkei newspaper said.
But joint F-2 production ended more than two years ago and the last of the fighters are due to be retired from Japan’s air defence force around 2028, it added.
I – Word Understanding
second fiddle – having secondary role (lower position)
stoke – to provoke or raise (fear)
resurgence – coming back (after no or very little activity)
II – Have Your Say
A. Why does Japan need to strengthen its military? to stand up to China to reclaim independence (Japan depends on US military protection) to be able to go into battle in defence of allies.
B. Aircraft carriers contribute greatly to a country’s overall military strength. For better or worse,
the strength of a country’s military is directly linked to its influence in the world stage. Here’s a
look at the strongest militaries::
1. United States
2. Russia
3. China
4. India
5. The United Kingdom
6. France
7. Germany
8. Turkey
9. South Korea
10. Japan
