User blog comment:WarKnight 1/Aviation News: Japan chooses the F-35 for the F-X program/@comment-1824272-20111221040431/@comment-4686823-20111221065630

We did not give Japan the F-22 because the main ideology is that when America gives a new high tech toy to a foreign nation it has to be A) an older model or Hand me down or B) have to be designed for export from the get go which is the case for the F-35. Also Japan went with the F-35 because it was the closest thing they would get to the F-22 and the fact the Russia now has the Sukhoi PAK FA and the fact the China is developed the Chengdu J-20 it needs to get this plane as the next best solution Though to ADF-01FFalken's comment it is not cheaper but it will Pay off in the long run because the Typhoon and Super Hornet while being great platforms wont survive future battles against High Preformance SAM's