Japan's New Air Force

[Dave Homewood]

An interesting article about the Japanese Air Force restarting in 1956. This must have been very disconcerting to many veterans reading this news. Thankfully they need not have been concerned. I did not realise Japan was licence building so many jets so early on. I wonder if they made changes and improvements to the US designs. From The Press, 13 March 1956:

JAPAN’S NEW AIR FORCE

British And U.S. Help In Plan

(Rec. 10 p.m.) TOKYO, March 11.

Japan's new Navy has joined the Air Force in carrying the rising sun emblem into the air. While newly-trained Japanese Air Force pilots were conducting their first squadron classes with Sabre jets, the Navy’s Fleet Air Arm brought to Japan the first two of six Neptune patrol aircraft, made available to Japan by the United States.

At the same time, Japanese factories were beginning work on the local production of jet fighters. The Government has said that it would be entitled in the event of an attack on Japan to retaliate against enemy bases.

The Japanese Air Force expects to have 1300 aircraft after a six-year build-up process now well under way.

Since the beginning of this year, jet pilots have been returning home after training in the United States, and this month the first organised fighter squadron was placed on an active basis.

The aircraft being used are made available by the United States. A total of 67 SF-86 jets is expected.

Later, Japan will use aircraft made in Japan. At first, they will be from American designs under licence. Already, however Japan’s own research and design programme anticipates production of a Japanese model or models.

One Japanese company, the Kawasaki Aircraft Company, is already turning out T-33 jet trainers and is to make 360 during the next four years.

Shin Mitsubishi Industries, Ltd., is now landing parts for its Sabre jet construction programme. The assembly line is to start turning out aircraft by October. A Mitsubishi pilot is now in Japan to test flight a British-made de Havilland Vampire jet trainer for the air force. Domestic designers plan to turn out similar aircraft to be built here.

Japan’s Air Force expenditures this year are expected to total more than £20,000,000.

[Dave Homewood]

Are any Kawasaki-built T-33's or Mitsubishi-built F-86s still around today?

[davidd]

The ANZUS agreement was a result of the Peace Treaty signed with Japan (in San Fransico?) in 1951, and was intended as a signal to Australia and New Zealand that America was not going to allow the Japanese dragon to arise again without there being strict controls on the type of equipment, the size and numbers of the individual Japanese forces and types of aircraft (and roles), etc., which would be allowed, along with all sorts of guarantees. At this time the Americans were more interested in shoring up the "Allied" defences all around the World as the Soviet Union and China were widely considered (by most Western nations) as the great threats of the time, while Japan was slowly but surely rising into the status of a very wealthy country, economically speaking, although of course it entirely lacked any armed forces by virtue of the agreement reached at end of WW2. However the Americans were in fact pretty keen to get the Japanese to build up fairly considerable military forces for the defence of Japan (as well as regional defence), but offensive types/roles were specifically excluded (read BOMBERS). Japan by this time was starting to appear as a dynamic economy with a large and skilled workforce, so manufacturing jet aircraft and engines (as well as warships, etc), was considered to be relatively easy for the Japanese to undertake, and would assist greatly in securing this part of the still rather troubled and unstable world - not certain whether Japan was given financial assistance with setting up these production lines or not, but it was no surprise that only American aircraft types were put into production. Must say I was surprised to see the British Vampire mentioned! Japan of course was soon considered almost an international superpower so far as its economy was concerned. At about the same time as the build up of the new armed forces in Japan, Germany was also being urged to rapidly build up its armed forces for pretty much the same reasons, but in Europe. Again, defensive type equipment (whatever that might be!) was strongly emphasised.

[Dave Homewood]

Very interesting David, thanks for that. I never knew that this was the origins of ANZUS.

The Japanese had a quite innovative and successful aircraft industry before and during WWII, but as well as some very good home grown designs, around 80% to 90% of the aircraft before the war in their Air Forces and civilian hands were in fact licence built overseas designs. So setting up production of a foreign design would have been second nature to them.