Japan failed to build its own airliner. Now it’s turning to Boeing

Japan’s push to build its own civil aviation sector and stay competitive in the technology race against China could receive a boost from a potential partnership with American aircraft giant Boeing. The country is already a key Boeing partner, possesses advanced manufacturing technologies and could benefit from a captive domestic market – factors that analysts say make its plan to develop a commercial aircraft viable, as it seeks to rebound from the failed SpaceJet airliner programme. “It’s what the sociologists and international relations experts call ‘techno-nationalism’,” said Lance Gatling, president of Nexial Research and an aviation and aerospace analyst. “When a Japanese person gets on a plane, they are proud because it is Japanese-made – and Japanese companies are happy to pay extra for a domestically produced solution.” That impulse extends to keeping pace with technological rival China, as Japan strives to reclaim its reputation as a global innovation hub – one that, in decades past, gave the world the Walkman portable cassette player, the lithium-ion battery and the QR code. On Saturday, the Mainichi newspaper reported that China’s agreement to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May had caught Tokyo’s attention. On Saturday, the Mainichi newspaper reported that China’s agreement to buy 200 aircraft from Boeing during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May had caught Tokyo’s attention. An alliance involving Japanese firms building commercial aircraft facilities in the United States would appeal to Trump and could persuade him to ease tariffs on Japanese imports, the report said. It also noted that Tokyo had outlined a strategy in 2024 for the government and private sector to invest 5 trillion yen (US$31 billion) in aviation over the next decade, with a target to launch an aircraft by 2035. Japan’s broader aim is to move beyond its current role as a parts supplier to Boeing, build on accumulated knowledge and develop an independent industry. One government official told the Mainichi the goal was a “true hinomaru jet” – a reference to the name of the Japanese flag. The scrapping of the SpaceJet by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2023 dealt a major blow to Japan’s aviation ambitions. Tokyo had originally outlined its vision for a mid-size regional jet in 2003, backed by a five-year, 500 billion yen research programme aimed at tapping booming demand for short-haul and regional routes, particularly in China. But Chinese firms had a head start, benefiting from lower costs and extensive state support. The SpaceJet project was further derailed by delays in finalising fuselage and wing materials, repeated failures to schedule test flights and persistent problems with its engines from US company Pratt & Whitney. While All Nippon Airways and US regional carriers including Mesa Airlines and SkyWest had committed to buying SpaceJet aircraft, the programme was abandoned after Japan had spent around 1 trillion yen – denting its hopes of competing with Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer and Chinese manufacturers. “The entire project was ill-advised from the outset and the execution was just atrocious,” Gatling said. “They did not understand the market, and all these multiple factors just cascaded.” The question now is whether Japan has learned its lessons from the SpaceJet debacle, according to Gatling. A partnership with Boeing, rather than attempting to “go it alone”, could be the answer. Gatling pointed out that roughly one-third of every Boeing 787 Dreamliner comprises components made by Japanese firms – including Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Subaru – and that Boeing already operates a development facility in Nagoya. “Japanese firms are contributing very advanced and specialised technologies, with composite airframes extending the life of aircraft and doing away with problems with rust, for example,” he said. With the Boeing 737 narrowbody approaching the end of its operational life after nearly six decades in service, Japanese firms and Boeing could be well placed to fill the gap. “A replacement is going to be tremendously expensive,” Gatling said, estimating between US$12 billion and US$20 billion in development costs. “If the final product is high quality and integrated correctly, then this planned alliance could work.” Stephen Nagy, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s International Christian University, said an alliance with Boeing could potentially replicate the success of Japan’s automotive sector. He drew a parallel with the Global Combat Air Programme: the joint fighter jet development initiative involving Japan, Britain and Italy. Despite early teething problems, that experience could yield useful lessons for a Japan-Boeing partnership and help the country rediscover its innovative touch, Nagy said. “Japan seems to want to double down on its alliance with the US at the same time as diversifying its security partners. Working with Boeing helps to tighten ties across the Pacific,” Nagy said. “China’s huge advantage is scale. It is impossible for Japan to outperform China when it comes to scale, so it must cooperate with others to get back into the race.” He added that there was a need for “a change in mentality in Japan”. “In the 1960s to the 1980s, the mentality here was that anything was possible,” Nagy said. “Japan was innovative and things got done. That needs to be rediscovered and these sorts of alliances may be one way to do that.”

Japan failed to build its own airliner. Now it’s turning to Boeing

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}After the 1 trillion yen SpaceJet flop, Japan is pinning its hopes on an aerospace comeback to bridge the technology gap with China

After the 1 trillion yen SpaceJet flop, Japan is pinning its hopes on an aerospace comeback to bridge the technology gap with China