Japan's Oka Named 1st Head of Fighter Jet Int'l Body

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--Former Japanese Vice Minister of Defense for International Affairs Masami Oka will be the first head of a planned international body to manage joint development plans for next-generation fighter jets, the Defense Ministry has said.

The announcement about the trilateral body among Japan, Britain and Italy, called GIGO, was timed to coincide with a meeting of their defense ministers, Gen Nakatani of Japan, John Healey of Britain and Guido Crosetto of Italy, in the Italian city of Naples on Saturday evening.

The ministers discussed the joint fighter jet development, known as the Global Combat Air Program, or GCAP.

GIGO, short for the GCAP International Government Organization, is designed to streamline development by centralizing contracts currently concluded by the three countries separately with companies of each country. It will also manage exports in the future.

The organization will be headquartered in London and launched by year-end. Its top leadership will be a rotating post among the three countries.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]