{"id":37023,"date":"2026-06-08T07:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T07:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/37023\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T07:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T07:37:08","slug":"the-stealth-jet-tearing-britain-and-japan-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/37023\/","title":{"rendered":"The stealth jet tearing Britain and Japan apart"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Sir Keir Starmer jetted into Tokyo for his first visit, the Prime Minister claimed Britain\u2019s relationship with Japan was now \u201cthe strongest it has been in decades\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UK-Japan partnership is of profound and growing importance,\u201d he told his hosts, flanked by close allies including Jonathan Powell, the national security tsar, and Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you, I believe Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security are indivisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet five months later, as Sanae Takaichi, Sir Keir\u2019s Japanese counterpart, prepares to visit the UK this weekend, cracks are appearing in this rosy fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n

For some time, tensions between Tokyo and London have been growing over the global combat air programme (GCAP): the joint UK-Italy-Japan project to develop a next-generation stealth jet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The programme, known as Tempest domestically, aims to develop a long-range strike aircraft and have it in the air by 2035. It will cost tens of billions of pounds, with Britain\u2019s share expected to come to at least \u00a312bn over a decade.<\/p>\n

But officials in Tokyo have become frustrated in recent months with Starmer\u2019s failure to match words with actions, as London pushes to delay an injection of cash.<\/p>\n

\"Computer<\/p>\n

A computer-generated image of the proposed Tempest combat jet – Ministry of Defence<\/p>\n

The three countries originally aimed to sign a contract providing long-term funding for Edgewing, the joint venture that has been set up to execute the GCAP programme, by the end of last year.<\/p>\n

Instead, as British ministers wrangle over how to plug a \u00a328bn funding shortfall for a domestic equipment pipeline known as the defence investment plan (DIP), the deal has been repeatedly pushed back.<\/p>\n

To stop the project running out of money, the partners signed a temporary three-month contract in April \u2013 but that will expire at the end of this month.<\/p>\n

It has prompted a series of complaints behind the scenes from Japan, while officials have grumbled privately that Britain is becoming a \u201cghost ally\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Japanese thought the Italians were going to be the problem,\u201d says Francis Tusa, an independent defence analyst. \u201cBut actually, it turned out to be the Brits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we screw this up, there will be hell to pay. It could be a disaster for our alliances in Asia.<\/p>\n

\u201cJapan would rightly tell people: \u2018Don\u2019t touch them with a bargepole.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Japan's<\/p>\n

The Government\u2019s repeated delays have reportedly caused tension with Japan – YUICHI YAMAZAKI\/REUTERS<\/p>\n

To understand how the Ministry of Defence (MoD) got into such a mess, it pays to look at why GCAP is different from other military programmes.<\/p>\n

Britain signed an international treaty to establish GCAP with Japan and Italy in 2023.<\/p>\n

That was meant to underline the deep and binding commitment the three countries were making to the programme.<\/p>\n

Yet since then, the Government has at times looked like it wants to wriggle out of its responsibilities rather than meet them.<\/p>\n

For months, British ministers have prevaricated over funding \u2013 tying GCAP\u2019s future to the fate of the DIP and refusing to give the programme their full-throated backing.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, The Telegraph revealed the Treasury had even floated the idea of delaying Britain\u2019s spending on GCAP until the 2030s.<\/p>\n

This betrayed a fundamental \u201cmisunderstanding of the nature of GCAP\u201d inside the Government, says Tusa, as well as a failure to appreciate the importance of the project to Japan.<\/p>\n

International treaties are a serious business, he argues, because they put Britain\u2019s good word on the line. But for security reasons as well, delaying the funding into the 2030s is simply a non-starter.<\/p>\n

In public statements, the UK, Japan and Italy have repeatedly said they want to get the new stealth jet into the sky by 2035 \u2013 a timeline that looked highly ambitious even before Britain\u2019s stalling.<\/p>\n

You cannot build a next-generation aircraft in just a few years. Serious cash injections are needed now to ensure that aircraft will be flying by the target 2035 date, points out Tusa.<\/p>\n

He also says that for Tokyo, delivering GCAP by that year is not simply a \u2018nice-to-have\u2019, but rather a national imperative.<\/p>\n

Japanese officials are watching with alarm as China becomes an increasingly belligerent neighbour, claiming sovereignty over the South China Sea, menacing Taiwan and making incursions into Japanese-controlled territories.<\/p>\n

In response, they have vowed to step up Japan\u2019s own military capabilities<\/a> to create a powerful deterrent for Beijing \u2013 with GCAP at the heart of these plans.<\/p>\n

This is why suggestions of delays to the programme have been met with so much concern by officials in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

It is simply not possible to push back the funding while still delivering the programme on time, according to insiders.<\/p>\n

\u201cDelaying the funding until the 2030s is not an option,\u201d says one person close to the programme. \u201cYou either do it now, or you don\u2019t do it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Others have warned that the UK could seek to roll over GCAP onto another three-month contract extension<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Starmer is said to have set a \u201chard deadline\u201d of July 7, when a Nato summit is due to take place, for the DIP\u2019s publication, although some insiders have suggested it could be published as soon as this Thursday.<\/p>\n

But worries about further delays have reportedly prompted Japanese officials to make complaints, including to Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on her recent trip to Asia.<\/p>\n

One person also claimed Tokyo had even suggested Japanese investment in the UK and an expected forthcoming visit by Takaichi could be at risk.<\/p>\n

The Japanese embassy in London insists there is \u201cno truth\u201d to these claims \u2013 but has yet to publicly commit to Takaichi\u2019s potential visit, which was reported in Japanese media.<\/p>\n

\u201cNegotiations regarding the contract… are currently underway and the governments of Japan, the UK and Italy are working closely together to secure a long-term agreement,\u201d an embassy spokesman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs regards prime minister Takaichi\u2019s overseas visits, nothing has been decided at this stage, and there is no truth to claims that Tokyo has informed Downing Street to call off the visit to the UK on the grounds of GCAP.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Prime<\/p>\n

Starmer is said to have set a \u2018hard deadline\u2019 of July 7 in line with a planned NATO summit – Henry Nicholls\/PA Wire<\/p>\n

At the same time, Donald Trump, the US president, is reportedly trying to persuade Tokyo to jump ship and throw its lot in with America instead.<\/p>\n

It has piled extra weight on to Starmer\u2019s decision that goes beyond domestic budget constraints. At risk, argues defence analyst Tusa, is Britain\u2019s standing with key allies.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course we can say we have domestic issues, but that\u2019s no excuse,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Japanese and the Italians have their priorities as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worry that the lesson the Treasury will take from this is not to sign international treaties, because they bind you. But that\u2019s supposed to be the whole point.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the central dilemma facing Starmer\u2019s Government, with no easy answers available.<\/p>\n

The funding for GCAP will reportedly require an immediate commitment of \u00a36bn, but the MoD has previously estimated it could cost more than \u00a312bn over a decade.<\/p>\n

Finding that cash will require ministers to resolve a \u00a328bn funding shortfall for the DIP, which is likely to mean painful cuts elsewhere.<\/p>\n

To free up cash, the Government is considering cuts to capital projects in net zero, transport, military housing and NHS hospitals, according to The Sunday Times.<\/p>\n

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, is said to have dug in for a fight with the Ministry of Defence, which the Treasury regards as a delinquent department that cannot stick to a budget.<\/p>\n

A spokesman for Edgewing says GCAP bosses have \u201cfull confidence that additional funding will be allocated\u201d in the forthcoming plan.<\/p>\n

Yet further delays to GCAP will probably cost more than just money. As he seeks to shore up Britain\u2019s alliances, Starmer may find his words buy less than they used to as well.<\/p>\n

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Sir Keir Starmer jetted into Tokyo for his first visit, the Prime Minister claimed Britain\u2019s relationship with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37024,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[596,27514,4138,8,16123,27515,27516,21623,27517,358,52],"class_list":["post-37023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-japan","tag-britain","tag-francis-tusa","tag-global-combat-air-programme","tag-japan","tag-japanese-counterpart","tag-japanese-officials","tag-jonathan-powell","tag-keir-starmer","tag-ministry-of-defence","tag-sanae-takaichi","tag-tokyo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}