As one commentator on my story said, by the time the the F-35 is perfected and the Shinshin is flying, the U.S. will probably let Japan have the F-22 anyway, as it will be old hat by then. That’s a very cynical point of view as the F-35’s troubles continue, mainly in terms of cost growth.

 However, Japan is being sensible, at least on the surface of it. Whether or not TRDI and MHI can deliver on the Shinshin is an issue that is going to emerge over the next three or four years. The TRDI is often criticized for being too research orientated and not product driven. Questions about the Shinshin include just how much stealth technology will the DOD let Japan have. After the FSX debacle, Japan’s strategy has been to make sure it keeps at the edge of certain elemental technologies and subsystems while not remaining too far behind on systems technology just in case. So what sort of hedge is Shinshin? An interesting question. And what sort of leverage will it give Japan if any against the F-35?

Anyway, here is the brief story I put in for Defense News.