The defense ministers of Japan, United Kingdom and Italy on Thursday in Tokyo vowed success in developing a next-generation fighter jet by 2035, a plan unveiled last year.
In the first trilateral defense ministerial meeting, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his British and Italian counterparts, Ben Wallace and Guido Crosetto, also discussed their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has been intensifying its military activities, the Defense Ministry said.
"The fighter jet project will build the foundation for cooperation in the generations to come and contribute considerably to strengthening global security," Hamada said at the meeting, part of which was open to the media.