Global arms firms show off wares in Japan

Ha! And with Japan's dwindling and aging population who is gong to fly and man these new toys?

There is no doubt that Japan is still a resourceful nation and should be respected as such. There is a potential to bye more, because once war starts, it could quickly consume all fighting equipments within days, if not within hours.

Oh Japan should be respected alright. They are an island nation with an extremely powerful navy and experience in sea warfare It is also a nation respected across the world (with the exception of its immediate neighbors), so they walk wirh a posse.

There's no money for kids, but they have $4 billion to buy war planes. Sigh...

F-35 looks beautiful, I envy the pilots who will get to fly them! Best job in the world. With 100 more on order, Japanese Air Force will be even stronger, and neighbors will be rightly nervous! Can PRC compete in a dogfight with F-35?! Lol!

A super powerful military commands respect, and adding to it, more respect.

 even at 1 percent, Japan already ranks as one of the world's biggest military spenders.

Figures like these and “the US spends more than the next three biggest spenders combined!” get thrown a lot. But what they never factor in is human costs. Japan and the US have much higher average salaries and manufacturing prices than China or Russia. Now apply that the entire procurement and supply chain, that is; land leases for facilities, food, equipment, welfare, healthcare, etc to see the real picture.

eg: military bases in Japan are mostly built on land leased from civilian owners costing billions of yen per year, unlike China, where land is by default owned by the state and can be taken from civilian owners with impunity.

All Japanese should proud that Japan produce these planes in Japan, by Japanese.The best quality of made in Japan will make the fighters the best reputation.

Akie;  Now the rest of the world just wants to know what Japan stands for ? What it believes worthy of fighting for? It's a bit of a muddled mess at the moment, but still have hopes. If there are some core values, they're not being translated too well.

The British company also wants to partner with Japan on a new, longer-range fighter. They are together studying the development of beyond visual range air-launched missiles.

I see BAE and CANZUK as a driving force towards some really interesting military projects between the U.K, Aus, Canada and N.Z and given that Japan has good ties and improving ties between all four and a budding quasi alliance with Australia, Japan has every opportunity to contribute towards those projects and benefit significantly.

Next thing, free movement Japan - CANZUK :o lol joke.

Yes, because the biggest threat to the world right now is men in other countries with guns.

What a hideous waste of money. Want to be like the U.S.? Best for the military-industrial complex and leftovers, if any, for the people.

This is so bad on so many different levels, supporting the 'rogue state' of the USA and their arms business. Shame on you.

@dbsaiya

Ha! And with Japan's dwindling and aging population who is gong to fly and man these new toys?

Conscription.

Abe san's revised war constitution will impose the duty to protect Japan on each Japanese citizen, thereby making conscription legal again.

@Akie

All Japanese should proud that Japan produce these planes in Japan, by Japanese.

Japan can't, not anymore.

This is why Japan is importing 100 F-35s and attack helicopters instead of engineering them domestically like Japan did 20 years ago. Japan is in the Post-Industrialization era, where Japan's industries are shifting from manufacturing to financial services and tourism/hospitality.

where is the exhibition can general public go? A real-size mock F-35 fighter jet is displayed at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo on Thursday

it's at Big Site until tomorow http://www.japanaerospace.jp/en/

Got to better than a 50+ year old F4 Phantom or the Mitsubishi copy F16. While there at it some newer helicopters and firearms. Or healthcare, pensions, guess hard to hear what's needed in a karaoke booth.

Yes, because the biggest threat to the world right now is men in other countries with guns.

Unfortunately the reality of the world is that men in other countries with guns AND various, what currently seem inevitable (due to a lack of action) environmental disasters are both big threats to all.

Providing everybody minds their own business and doesn't attempt territorial takeover we can hopefully rule out men with guns as our downfall and focus on the far more likely scenario, in fact, baked in scenario unless we do something about it - climate change and mass extinction as our ultimate downfall.

Japan can't, not anymore.

This is why Japan is importing 100 F-35s and attack helicopters instead of engineering them domestically like Japan did 20 years ago. Japan is in the Post-Industrialization era, where Japan's industries are shifting from manufacturing to financial services and tourism/hospitality.

Seem to be doing pretty well at whatever it is they are doing considering the profits of Japanese companies are generally pretty tidy and their significant global investments, generally speaking, do well, particularly in Asia.

I also wouldn't say Japan is moving wholesale away from manufacturing.

They probably have the most or second most visible and profitable car industry in the world, alongside some heavyweight European mobs like the Volkswagon group and perhaps China, but mainly in China.

The U.S on the other hand who would have lost much of their car industry if it wasn't for bailouts....seem to specialize in making weapons of war and not a lot else, but that's probably my lack of knowledge and general ignorance showing.

koiwaicoffeeToday 07:24 am JST

There's no money for kids, but they have $4 billion to buy war planes. Sigh...

And that's just the tip. Double sigh!!!

Military Inc sucking up insane monies to appease 1) Govt charlies 2) Industry nobs 3) Buddies (trump etc), all the while telling the Masses to duck under tables because the baddies are coming.

Future Hacker infiltration & Hypersonic technologies will humble any purchases such as these jets.

But - go on, tell everyone how safe we'll be.

@Kabukilover

What a hideous waste of money

To some degree, yes. The problem is that huge expenditure on arms is a necessity. If you don't want to feed your own army you'll have to feed the army of other state.

Oh come on. The choice is clear. Spend all our tax money on planes that can easily be shot down by Russia or China. Or help disaster affected Japanese citizens? How many are we gonna buy total. They are already out of date.

Hm. I'm in two minds on this. I'm all for Japan improving its Self-Defence Forces, replacing outdated hardware/vehicles with more modern ones in order to defend against China and North Korea. At the same time, spending so much on American products alone isn't the best idea. You can guarantee that Trump will continue to pressure Japan into buying more and more American stuff, since Trump wants to shut out all other competitors, even ones from US allies. It would be nice if Japan could buy a bit more from UK, France and Germany since they have a lot to offer.

There is no doubt that Japan is still a resourceful nation and should be respected as such. There is a potential to bye more, because once war starts, it could quickly consume all fighting equipments within days, if not within hours.

This is why we are blackmailed into buying this stuff. Why America sets 2%GDP, but has homeless people, police paying compensation in millions for killing young black people, off shore tax havens...

@Goodlucktoyou

Spend all our tax money on planes that can easily be shot down by Russia or China. Or help disaster affected Japanese citizens?

OK, let's for a moment imagine that Japan spends all its weapons money on very honorable aims like disaster relief, social security etc. And then Chinese land at Senkaku. What are going to do?  Without weaponry? 

@Fox Sora Winters

  It would be nice if Japan could buy a bit more from UK, France and Germany

It would be very much nicer if Japan makes all the armaments it need. If spend big yen on weapons, spend it at home, enliven your manufacturing base.

merchant of death: weapons here! get your red hot weapons here! slaughter your enemies! suppress an uprising! maintain your grip on power through fear and terror!

@asa. Sensaku used to belong to China and it is not worth fighting over.

All these people complaining about the cost.

Do you honestly think 1%. Defense spending/GDP is too much money for Japan?

As you all probably know, the NATO target is 2%

America spends 3.5% I think

Australia is almost 2%, perhaps 1.9%, but that's increasingly to perhaps 2.3%/2.4% at the projected peak atm

I don't think that is too much money to be honest. Its not just about the hardware we get at the end of it, its also about the research that goes on which often filters out to civil society, the trade skills maintained and generated, which in many countries, particularly the West, are severely lacking now.

The benefit of deterrence and a steady state are immeasurable. Look around the world, particularly the Mid East and Africa. We do not need that in Indo Pacific.

Given the level of government corruption and fraud that is regularly revealed in most countries, you could offset that cost with some regular government auditing of the books and a strong, anti-corruption body.

You also need a proper tax base. Everything is stuffed if you don't have a fair and strong tax base and know how to balance the government budget more often than not.

Personally, I believe it should be mandated that federal/national government spending match government tax take outside of times of war and other emergencies.

In Australia, they had this intention to limit taxes to 23.9% of GDP I think it was. Unfortunately, they haven't said spending should be approximately the same. Thus the unbalanced budgets.

Some mobs don't like this idea - https://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/budget-2018-239-per-cent-is-not-the-magic-answer-to-the-general-elvel-of-taxes-20180506-h0zoyw

But I do.

Conscription.

Abe san's revised war constitution will impose the duty to protect Japan on each Japanese citizen, thereby making conscription legal again.

It’s just a matter of time.

Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see enlistment levels rise a bit after the consumption tax hike next year, as poverty and desperation always leads people to do desperate things.

It’s a slippery slope to war - and politicians(LDP politicians especially) are very slippery people.

These shows are gross. Just displays of collusion between national governments and the military industries their bureaucrats are tied up with. So much money wasted in war and lives lost for a couple egos saved.

These shows are gross. Just displays of collusion between national governments and the military industries their bureaucrats are tied up with. So much money wasted in war and lives lost for a couple egos saved.

I have a question for you.

What do you think would have been the end result if Europe, Russia and America were not armed to take on the Nazi's in WW2? If they all said, oh no no no, we can negotiate with Hitler. Trust me.

All these people that think the good times are never going to end are straight up delusional.

History is full of war and conflict and while it should be priority no.1 to avoid conflict at just about all costs, sometimes that simply isn't possible.

History is full of war and conflict and while it should be priority no.1 to avoid conflict at just about all costs, sometimes that simply isn't possible.

Well said, Matt Hartwell, well said! Japan and other democracies cannot simply sit back while rogue neighbors like NK and Communist China constantly arm themselves to the teeth and get stronger by the year with the newest military technology. Japan must keep up and invest in weaponry, to secure peace.

1% of GDP is a tiny price to pay for guaranteeing safety in the most dangerous time for Japan in 73 years.

Not much more I can add, Matt Hartwell pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Ha! And with Japan's dwindling and aging population who is gong to fly and man these new toys?

-- HAHA, Japan's current population is almost 128 million, you really think there are no young pilots trained for this honorable job. Even if the population's composed of old people, the country still has a large quantity of young people. Let's see China top this. Quality over quantity is what I see in the long run.

Matt Hartwell Today 07:18 pm JST

I have a question for you.

What do you think would have been the end result if Europe, Russia and America were not armed to take on the Nazi's in WW2? If they all said, oh no no no, we can negotiate with Hitler. Trust me.

All these people that think the good times are never going to end are straight up delusional.

History is full of war and conflict and while it should be priority no.1 to avoid conflict at just about all costs, sometimes that simply isn't possible.

It can be said louder but not clearer. Just because there hasn't been a war in the last 70 years doesn't mean there can be one in the future. And Japan has to be prepared in case that happens. God forbid.

The world is unfortunately not a utopia of fantasy of peace, prosperity and goodwill. And it is something that the Japanese people have to keep in mind.

@Matt Hartwell

Do you honestly think 1%. Defense spending/GDP is too much money for Japan?

It is for Japan, because the Japanese government is all but bankrupt. Japan can't possibly keep up with China and Korea in arms race, yet is forced to.

http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/s/article/2018112990070007.html

米兵器ローン急増　来年度予算圧迫　防衛省、支払い延期要請  

2018年11月29日 07時00分 

防衛省が今月初め、国内の防衛関連企業六十二社に対し、二〇一九年度に納品を受ける防衛装備品代金の支払いを二～四年延期してほしいと要請したことが関係者への取材で分かった。高額な米国製兵器の輸入拡大で「後年度負担」と呼ばれる兵器ローンの支払いが急増。編成中の一九年度予算の概算要求では、要求基準を事実上二千億円超過しており、国内企業に「返済猶予」を求めるという異例の事態となっている。　

The Japanese defense ministry is asking its domestic defense contractors to defer the payment of weapons to be delivered next year by 2~4 years, because Japanese government can't pay for them amid the soaring cost of imported weapons from the US.

Japanese public finance has finally reached the breaking point and Japan can't continue this. This is just like the US-Soviet Union arms race of the 1980s, except it is Japan that is like the Soviet Union and is facing a national bankruptcy.

It is for Japan, because the Japanese government is all but bankrupt. Japan can't possibly keep up with China and Korea in arms race, yet is forced to.

Why does Japan have to compete with Korea? Are you predicting a new war between Japan and Korea?