Japanese and British Prime Ministers Reaffirm GCAP Fighter Jet Commitment in London

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Sunday, 14 June 2026, to discuss the next phase of the Global Combat Air Programme. The two leaders reconfirmed their commitment to the project, which aims to develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035 with Italy.

” She added that the GCAP project had brought the countries to “a level that we can call a near-alliance” and said she hoped to elevate ties further with Starmer.

The British government had stated ahead of the meeting that the leaders would discuss the launch of the next phase through an international contract scheduled for signing in June 2026. The planned contract follows an initial agreement signed in April 2026 that runs through June.

The length of the forthcoming international contract was not immediately clear, and the British government statement did not specify the amount of funding for the next phase.

Britain had been expected to announce billions of pounds for GCAP in late 2025 as part of its 10-year defence investment plan. That announcement was postponed by several months after a spending dispute between the UK defence ministry and Treasury. The meeting took place three days after UK Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday, 11 June 2026.

Healey had been a leading advocate for the programme.