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DefenceTalk<\/p>\nDefenceTalk<\/p>\n
The United States announced Thursday that it has approved the sale of 105 F-35 stealth fighter aircraft to Japan for an estimated $23.11 billion.<\/p>\n
Japan had asked to buy 63 F-35A, the traditional version of the electronics-laden fighter aircraft, and 42 F-35B, the short-takeoff and vertical-landing version for aircraft carriers, the State Department said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Washington gave its green light to the transaction, which will improve \u201cthe security of a major ally\u201d in the Asia-Pacific region, the statement noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is vital to US national interest to assist Japan in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability,\u201d the State Department added.<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s 2020\/2021 defense budget is a record $50.3 billion, aimed at funding purchases of fighter jets and missile defense as the country eyes the threat from North Korea and China.<\/p>\n
In response to the rapid modernization of the Chinese military, Japan has decided to acquire a total of 105 F-35A aircraft over the next decade, in addition to 42 F-35B aircraft.<\/p>\n
At the end of 2018, the Japanese government approved a five-year defense plan that includes the entry of two aircraft carriers into its arsenal \u2014 a first since the end of World War II.<\/p>\n