Japan expanding defense industry role in U.S. fighter jet maintenance

Thisanka Siripala

Japanese defense contractors will service more fighter jets and other United States military assets stationed in Japan, as Tokyo enhances its defense posture under the nations’ longtime security alliance.

Japanese and U.S. defense officials met in early June 2024 to begin implementing a plan to strengthen defense equipment cooperation, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters. He said the bilateral Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment (DICAS) initiative is “a mutually beneficial project.”

In addition to maintenance of U.S.-made F-15 and F-16 fighters, the plan calls for integrating U.S. naval ship repairs by Japanese companies to speed the vessels’ return to the sea.

Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and the IHI Corp. are contracted for regular maintenance on Japan Self-Defense Forces aircraft, and service about 100 U.S. F-18 fighters and the more advanced F-35s stationed at Kadena and Misawa air bases.

Tokyo plans to begin servicing F-15s and F-16s as soon as 2025, the Nikkei Asia newspaper reported. MHI and IHI are slated to be the service providers.

Enhanced collaboration with the U.S could help Japan meet its increased defense spending goal, which is set to rise from 1.6% of gross domestic product in 2024 to 2% by 2027.

“Japanese defense needs to be able and willing to engage the international defense community. It is the only path for the industry to be a viable national resource for Japan,” Gregg Rubinstein, a Japan expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S.-based think tank, told FORUM.

Increasing defense production capacity will require adjustments to the sector’s structure, practices and knowledge base, he said.

Tokyo has selected about 300 startups to enter the defense sector to boost competition and spur innovation, while leading defense manufacturers such as MHI and IHI plan to increase sales and personnel.

Established during the Japan-U.S. summit in Washington, D.C., in April 2024, DICAS aims to enhance interoperability of defense equipment and integrate state-of-the-art technology. “The DICAS framework aims to promote U.S.-Japan defense industrial cooperation and accelerate opportunities for co-development, co-production and co-sustainment,” U.S. Defense Department spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in early June.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel recently highlighted Tokyo’s potential to boost the allies’ military production capacity and fortify regional deterrence.

Rubinstein said DICAS is part of a series of upgrades to the Japan-U.S. Alliance to address the region’s rapidly changing security environment. By March 2025, for example, Japan will establish a new command operations center for its Self-Defense Forces to enhance cooperation with U.S. forces.

The DICAS framework is Japan’s initial move to deepen collaboration in defense equipment expertise, manufacturing, supply chains, and research and development.

“DICAS, together with pending operational U.S. and Japanese headquarters, are the two clearest examples of steps toward operationalizing the alliance in one consultation channel,” Rubinstein said.

Thisanka Siripala is a FORUM contributor reporting from Tokyo.