Sunday, October 4, 2009

Billion Dollar Blueprints

As reported by the Japan Times Online, The U.S. is asking the Japanese Government to pay $1 billion dollars for info on the capabilities of the fifth generation military strike fighter plane known as the F-35. Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will more than likely have a conversation during their scheduled meeting on October 20th in Japan. The price is a steep and unusual one for something as simple as information on an air striker's capabilities. Maybe the Obama Administration is a bit more realist than expected. This request could build a lot of animosity amongst the two governments if an agreement can't be reached. There has been a previous fizzle between Japan and the U.S. when the U.S. banned the exporting of the F-22 Stealth Fighter, something that Japan had high hopes of obtaining. Let's see if the second time will be the charm, or if the U.S. has yet again dropped the ball with it's billion dollar blueprints.
For more information please check out the Kyodo News article on the Japan Times Online @ http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20091004a6.html

by: Ricky Brown

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