日本防卫省(Defence Minister)正考虑采用欧洲战斗机(Eurofighter)作为其下一代战斗机。对于这个迄今仅从美国购买战斗机的国家而言，此举可能具有重大意义。美国是日本最亲密的军事盟国。

Japan's defence ministry¹ is considering adopting the Eurofighter as its next- generation fighter jet, a potentially momentous² move for a country that has until now only purchased fighters from the US, its closest military ally.

熟悉谈判情况的人士表示，日本防卫省可能将在未来6个月内做出决定，采购金额可能高达数百亿美元。目前，日本政府打算更换250架至300架日趋老化的战斗机。日本防卫省一位发言人表示："我们正在考虑欧洲战斗机，以及其它战斗机型。我们正在研究全部现有战斗机资料，不仅仅是美国战斗机资料。"

A decision could be made within the next six months, people familiar with the negotiations³ said, and the procurement⁴ deal could run to tens of billions of dollars as Tokyo is looking to replace 250-300 ageing aeroplanes. "We are looking at the Eurofighter, along with other fighters," said a defence ministry spokesman. "We are looking at all available data, not just American data."