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Monday, 23rd November 2009
In Events In Japan,

Japan considers fighter jet purchase

The Japanese defence ministry is looking into buying a fleet of F-35 fighter jets, it has been reported.

According to local news resource Kyodo News, the government is looking to invest in some 40 fighter jets, in a bid to bolster its air force.

The newspaper said that the defence ministry is to put forward a request for the money for the jets in the 2011 to 2012 budget.

It is thought that the move may be partly down to Japan's growing concern over the military power of countries such as China and North Korea.

Reuters noted that Japan currently has an "aging" fleet of F-4 fighter jets, which were originally designed back in the 1960s and are "increasingly difficult to maintain".

Each of the new F-35 jets which the country is looking to buy could cost as much as nine billion yen each, reported AFP.

Japan has been restricted in how much military force it can have since the end of the second world war.

Written by Kimberley Homer.