JAPANESE PLANE PRODUCTION

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27638, 20 April 1955, Page 11

JAPANESE PLANE PRODUCTION

JET AIRCRAFT MAY BE BUILT DEFENCE AGREEMENT WITH AMERICA TOKYO. Japan’s aircraft industry, which once turned out hordes of Zero fighters for “divine wind’’ human torpedoes, is preparing to resume full-scale production for her renascent air force, with American technical and financial assistance. The first jet aircraft ever produced in Japan is expected to come out this year, if the present plan for joint Japanese-American air defence buildup materialises in time. There is some domestic opposition to the plan. Under the programme. Which has been proposed by Washington, the United States would place “offshore procurement orders’’ worth 50,000,000 dollars with Japanese aircraft manufacturers for production of 114 T-33 advanced trainers and 70 F-86 front-line interceptors by June, 1957. Jet plane parts and weapons, as well as some metallurgical tools, royalties licences, valued in total at 30,000,000 dollars, would be supplied from the United States. This is because the Japanese aircraft industry would be unable immediately to place ) e \ production on a paying basis. Initially, the parts and weapons would arrive for “knock-down’’ assembly here. The Japanese Government would spend about 7,200,000,000 yen (20,000,000 dollars) to cover the cost of transportation, labour, and other expenses. Japanese plants would de-t-e assem bled craft to American authorities, who would then “lease” them to the Japanese Defence Board.

Wheat Sale Proceeds Part of the proceeds from the sales ?£^ m i er o can ™ heat supplied under the Mutual Security Programme last year would be used to help Japanese manufacturers install necessary facilities and equipment. Japanese manufacturers wouid be required under the plan gradually to turn out all parts and weapons, so that they could continue production by themselves after 1957. According to unofficial reports they XnS ?;° dUc . e . ’h?* 200 i et P lanes annuaUy thereafter. Domestic production Of jet engines has also been conS 1 re< L as part o£ the general plan. Mr Tatsunosuke Takasaki, director of the Economic Counsel Board, said recently that the Japanese Government had “agreed in principle” to the joint air defence build-up proposal. Trie statement was later corrected by Mr Tanzan Ishibashi, Minister of Trade and Industry, who said Japan had merely “decided to study” the plan. According to the Federation of Economic Organisations, which represents most leading Japanese businessmen, the Japanese aircraft manufacturers are eagrely hoping for materialisation of the plan, but there has been a certain amount of opposition from the Finance Ministry. The Finance Ministry says, according to the federation, that there is no guarantee that the United States will continue to place orders for Japanese jet planes after 1957. On the other hand, it will be impossible for the Japanse Defence Board to buy up all jet planes locally produced.

A At. Type of Planes Another reason given by the Finance Jpnistry for opposing the plan was that the F-86 seems to be outdated now, since the American Air Force is reported to be switching to the F-100. Japanese aircraft manufacturers contend that the Japanese Air Force might eventually need a large number of replacements regularly. A “tentative six-year defence buildup programme,” recently published in the Japanese press, calls for an air force of 1200 planes, including 500 F-86 and 150 F-86-D. The manufacturers also assert that they should be able to find outlets for their products in South-east Asia in time. They hold that a fairly large scope of production would be needed if the jet plane manufacturing were to be put on a really paying basis. While negotiations between Japan and the United States for an agreement on the jet production are likely to take some time to complete, principal Japanese aircraft companies are busily working out expansion programmes and production schedules. After the war, Japan was entirely banned from production of any aircraft and the plants were dismantled by order of the occupation authorities. Japanese companies now hope quickly to cacth up with technical progress made in the rest of the world during the last 10 years.