Vast budget fuels huge arms industry

[Hachiko]

Deep in the heart of Aichi Prefecture is the headquarters of an engineering company founded 100 years ago to make textile looms. Having borne the name Howa Machinery, Ltd. since 1945, today its products range from window frames to road-sweepers -- but it also derives around 12 percent of its business from weapons sales. In fact, 2004 marks the 40th year since its Type 64 rifle and 81mm mortar were selected by the Defense Agency for use by the Self-Defense Forces.

A Mitsubishi F-2B fighter-trainer

That the sole Japanese maker of rifles is so long established and diversified should come as no surprise, since many of Japan's oldest companies -- including household names such as Hitachi and Toshiba -- operate divisions that rely on defense contracts to generate profits.

Japan Times

 

[Glenn]

That's interesting. The same picture was in another of your posts, and the aircraft in it are called different names. In the other one, they are called ASDF F-15J fighters, and in this one F-2B fighter-trainer. I wonder why that is.

 

[bossel]

To me the fighter trainer very much looks like the old Phantom F4:

http://www.f4phantoms.co.uk/world.html

 

[Mandylion]

Follow this link
http://homepage2.nifty.com/FKEN/JASDF.html

And all will be explained...a simple bo-bo in labeling

What surprises me more is the "Mitsubishi." Yes, the F4 is an outdated technology, but did McDonnell Douglas really sell it to Mitsubishi? Is it a question of fabrication?

 

[Glenn]

I also noticed the similarity to the old F-4, but I just figured that it was some new design that just resembled it. I can't see why anyone would want the F-4 nowadays; it wasn't a very good fighter when it was in use by the US Air Force.