The Japanese government is anticipated to unveil a blueprint for the development of a new passenger jet at the conclusion of a high-level committee meeting on Wednesday.
This comes just a year after the previous attempt at creating a new aircraft was abandoned due to various challenges.
According to undisclosed sources, the ambitious public-private project could utilize hydrogen fuel as a means to reduce emissions and is expected to cost approximately five trillion yen ($33 billion). The official announcement is scheduled to take place later today after a private meeting involving politicians, industry experts, and business leaders to discuss a new aviation industry strategy.
It is reported that the target for the completion of the new plane is set for 2035, as stated by Japanese media outlets such as the Nikkei business daily.
This renewed effort to create a homegrown airliner comes after Mitsubishi Heavy Industries scrapped their highly publicized attempt in February 2023. The project, which aimed to produce a twin-engine plane for short-to-medium haul flights, was ultimately abandoned after a decade of technical difficulties and repeated delays.
In a move to rival the dominance of Airbus and Boeing in the aviation industry, China unveiled its first domestically-produced passenger jet last month at the Singapore Airshow. The single-aisle model is expected to compete with the popular models from the two major manufacturers.
Japan's last successful launch of a commercial airliner dates back to 1962 with the YS-11 turboprop, which was eventually discontinued about ten years later. With the growing global focus on achieving carbon neutrality, Japan sees hydrogen fuel as a promising prospect since it does not emit carbon dioxide when burned. However, there are concerns from environmental activists about the reliability of the supply chain for "green" hydrogen, which is produced from renewable sources. Other types of hydrogen fuel, such as "gray" and "blue" hydrogen, are also being considered, but they come with the drawback of being produced from fossil fuels.