Japanese PM Ishiba States Eagerness to Expand Japan-U.S. Cooperation in Aircraft Production, Development

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The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:35 JST, June 28, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed his willingness to expand cooperation between Japan and the United States in the field of aircraft manufacturing and development in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun. The statement comes in connection with bilateral negotiations on U.S. tariffs.

During the interview on Friday, Ishiba said Japan-U.S. cooperation would lead to the development of global markets and the expansion of employment in both countries. He also expressed his eagerness to “create a new Japan-U.S. relationship that will be mutually beneficial.”

Ishiba cited aircraft, along with shipbuilding, which has been one of the major items in the tariff talks, as an area where Japan-U.S. cooperation is expected to become increasingly important in terms of economic security.

Referring to Mitsubishi SpaceJet — a passenger jet that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. was to produce in Japan, but abandoned in 2023 — Ishiba said, “There are many sectors that can be utilized in the course of developing and producing aircraft in the United States.”

He proposed that the company’s technology be utilized in the joint development of aircraft by Japan and the United States.

Ishiba also cited the Boeing 787 series aircraft, which some people call a “quasi-Japanese aircraft,” because about 35% of its fuselage is made in Japan. Using that example, he indicated the aim of expanding the use of materials and parts made by Japanese manufacturers in aircraft manufacturing in the United States.

The administration of U.S President Donald Trump has demanded that Japan boost its investment in the United States and reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Japan.

In the interview, Ishiba reiterated his stance to emphasize Japan’s track record of investment in the United States in making a breakthrough in the negotiations.

“We will reduce the deficit from the perspective of the United States and the surplus from the perspective of Japan, aiming for zero [in trade balance],” he said.