On August 12, 2026, Chinese media Guancha.cn published a commentary article by aviation critic Zhang Zhonglin (ジャン・ジョンリン) analyzing the "true aim" of Japan's newly announced domestic passenger aircraft development strategy.

The article introduced Japan's new domestic aircraft strategy, the "3-step strategy," proposed by the Japanese government, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and others, as a plan to establish advanced manufacturing technologies such as composite materials and automated assembly in the first stage, participate in Western-led international joint development in the 2030s in the second stage, and aim to develop a next-generation domestic passenger aircraft under international cooperation around 2040 in the third stage.

Furthermore, it pointed out a significant gap between manufacturing technologies for airframe structures and core integrated design capabilities. It also argued that major Western companies like Boeing and Airbus would certainly not foster Japan, which could become a future rival.

It also cited that China, in the 1990s, championed a similar strategy but was swayed by the intentions of foreign companies and failed, suggesting that Japan's new strategy also has extremely low commercial and technical feasibility.

The article discussed Japan's true purpose for promoting a strategy that is likely to have low feasibility. First, it stated that the goal is to prevent the dispersal of industrial foundations, such as the engineer teams and inter-company cooperation networks cultivated during the MRJ (Mitsubishi SpaceJet) development, and to retain human resources within the country.

Furthermore, as a second objective, it cited the diversion of technologies such as large composite materials and automated assembly, as well as design and simulation tools, to the next-generation fighter jet (GCAP) being jointly developed with the UK and Italy. It argued that technologies and resources secured under the guise of civilian aircraft development are designed to be directly incorporated into military aircraft development.

The article also referred to Japan's 60-year history of failed passenger aircraft development. The "YS-11," which appeared in the 1960s, failed commercially because its design was too conservative during the transition to the jet age, and the "MRJ," launched in the 2000s, also saw its development bog down due to a lack of system integration capabilities and difficulties in obtaining US type certification, leading to its withdrawal from the project and aircraft dismantling in 2023.

And it reiterated its assertion that behind the continued pursuit of passenger aircraft development despite past setbacks, there is a strategic intention to maintain and strengthen the foundation of the defense aviation industry by utilizing the guise of civilian aircraft. It concluded by referencing Japan's past history of relying on such industrial capabilities to provoke wars of aggression, warning against the resurgence of militarism. (Edited and translated by Kawajiri)