Photo/Illutration An artist’s rendition of the next-generation fighter jet that Japan, Britain and Italy have been developing (Provided by BAE Systems)

RIO DE JANEIRO--The leaders of Japan, Britain and Italy met in Brazil to discuss bringing Saudi Arabia on board in the development of a next-generation fighter aircraft, according to sources close to the Japanese government.

The move is part of a multinational initiative dubbed the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) to jointly develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter.

In their discussions, the three partners weighed the merits of bringing oil-rich Saudi Arabia into the program.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, along with Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni, his respective counterparts from Britain and Italy, held three-nation talks on the issue Nov. 19 on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit here.

After the summit, the British government announced that the three leaders had discussed widening the participation of partners in the GCAP program. This, the sources said, included discussion on Saudi Arabia having a role.

The three countries decided at the end of 2022 to jointly develop the next generation fighter aircraft. Soon afterward, Saudi Arabia said it wanted in.

Britain and Italy had no objections to Saudi Arabia’s participation, but Japan was more wary because, as a senior Foreign Ministry official told reporters, “It will take more time to negotiate if Saudi Arabia is involved.”

Development of the aircraft is already expected to face delays despite initial plans for it to be ready to be deployed by 2035.

Widening the circle to bring Saudi Arabia into the fold would only delay the plan further.

Even so, there is support among Japanese government officials for accepting Saudi Arabia on grounds it would strengthen the partnership in terms of national security strategy against an increasingly volatile Middle East, in addition to the financial clout that country offers.

Sources close to the Japanese and British governments said the working-level discussions involving defense officials of the four countries, including Saudi Arabia, have already held discussions on the issue.

Japan, Britain and Italy have already signed the convention on the establishment of the GCAP international government organization (GIGO).

Since amending the treaty to include Saudi Arabia’s participation is not realistic in terms of schedule, Riyadh is expected to participate as a partner country outside of the treaty framework.

Saudi Arabia, which has a close relationship with the United States, also engages in weapons transactions with China and Russia.

It is also intervening in a civil war in neighboring Yemen through aerial attacks.

For this reason, some Japanese government officials are cautious about Saudi Arabia’s participation, citing fears about maintaining confidentiality of the fighter aircraft.

(This article was written by Shino Matsuyama and Nobuhiko Tajima.)

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