TOKYO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Germany is examining whether it could play a role in the GCAP fighter jet program led by Japan, Italy and Britain, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Tokyo on Wednesday, after a rival Franco-German initiative collapsed earlier this year.
Merz raised the prospect as part of a broader push to deepen cooperation with Japan on defence, critical raw materials and future technologies during a week-long trip to Asia.
The defence ministers of Germany and Japan will meet soon to discuss the matter, Merz told reporters after a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Takaichi did not mention the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) specifically but said Japan would promote defence industry cooperation in areas where both countries' capabilities were mutually complementary.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham earlier this month said the UK was open to German participation in the programme, whose aircraft is due to enter service in 2035.
Merz said discussions on the division of industrial work among the existing partners were already at an advanced stage, but that Germany was assessing all of its options.
However, he cautioned that Berlin might not be able to meet Japan's hoped-for timeline of reaching a decision on the matter by the start of next year.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Miranda Murray; editing by Matthias Williams)