Japan to design stealth jet : Report

apan's defence ministry hopes to make a prototype of a next-generation stealth plane, the first new fighter jet designed by the officially pacifist country in 30 years, a report said Tuesday.

The ministry will include funds to develop the manned prototype in its budgetary request for the fiscal year from April 2008, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily cited anonymous defence ministry officials as saying.

Japan has been officially pacifist since its defeat in World War II but has one of the world's largest defence budgets and has gradually been expanding its military role.

The defence ministry is hoping to keep its technology up to date and also gain an edge in negotiations with the United States when it selects new fighter jets, the best-selling daily was quoted by AFP as saying.

Japan is hoping to buy the F-22 Raptors -- the latest US Air Force jets built to evade radar detection at supersonic speeds.

US law prohibits export of Raptors. But the United States flew Raptors to Japan earlier this year on their first foreign flight, showing its commitment to the two countries' security alliance amid tensions with North Korea.

Japan and the United States already jointly design F-2 support fighters, but production is set to end in the year to March 2012.

The Japanese government has not supported development of a domestic fighter aircraft since the F-1 support fighter jet in the 1970s.

F-15 fighter jets, which form the core of Japan's fighter force, are being manufactured here under a licence agreement with the United States.

The Yomiuri said Japan's new prototype would likely cost tens of billions of yen, or hundreds of millions of dollars, over 10 years.

The design would not include installing weapons and it is unclear if Japan would actually produce the prototype due to the huge cost of building a full aircraft.

No immediate comment was available from the defence ministry. (*)