Recently, the ultra-large military transport aircraft C-17 from the American company Boeing has been attracting attention in Japanese political circles.
Jiji Press reported on the 8th that Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru is showing enthusiasm for the introduction of the C-17. During the House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting held on the 4th, when questions arose regarding Prime Minister Ishiba's intention to introduce the C-17, he said, "The more cargo a transport aircraft can carry, the better."
The background to the questions raised in the Diet is that Prime Minister Ishiba conveyed his intention to purchase transport aircraft when he met with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 7th (local time), and according to some reports, he even mentioned the C-17 model, which he has advocated for regularly, Jiji Press reported.
The C-17 is an ultra-large transport aircraft with a maximum payload of about 78 tons, capable of carrying tanks. This is more than twice the capacity of the C-2 (about 30 tons) and more than three times that of the C-130 (about 20 tons), both currently operated by the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
However, the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces are cautious about introducing the C-17, and Jiji Press introduced even cold voices regarding Prime Minister Ishiba, who is known as a military "otaku" (a Japanese term for people who are deeply engrossed in a particular field), mentioning a specific aircraft model.
A Self-Defense Forces official explained that there are limited bases or airports in Japan where the C-17 can be used in terms of runway length and ground strength, and that reinforcing runways is not easy.
Moreover, since production of the C-17 was discontinued in 2015, if introduced, it is highly likely that used transport aircraft previously operated by the U.S. military would have to be purchased, raising concerns about the cost of parts procurement and airframe maintenance.
One Ministry of Defense official sarcastically remarked, "Has Prime Minister Ishiba's thinking stopped 20 years ago? This is the best shopping to please President Trump," Jiji Press reported.
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