[kach22i]

Stealth fighter prototype unveiled
Japanese defense: Stealth fighter prototype unveiled- Nikkei Asian Review

TOKYO -- A demonstration unit of the X-2 stealth fighter made its debut Thursday, with the Japanese-built experimental aircraft promising greater maneuverability than other stealth planes........................

Although Mitsubishi Heavy put together the final design and constructed the prototype, some 220 companies including Fuji Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries participated in the project.......................

The U.S. military's F-35 stealth fighter "is not that maneuverable, but the X-2 is stealthy while boasting high maneuverability," said Takahiro Yoshida, project director at the Japanese defense ministry's acquisitions agency.

The X-2 "Shinshin" stealth jet
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/news/a19172/revealed-japans-new-fighter-prototype-x2-stealth/

In the early 2000s, the Japanese government operated under the assumption that it would be an export customer for the F-22 Raptor. To Japan's surprise, exports of the F-22 were banned under the 2006 Obey Amendment on the grounds that technology built into the F-22 was too sensitive to be sent abroad. Japan, which had expected to begin replacing its F-15s with F-22s right away, was faced with a dilemma.