Japan is accelerating the development of a successor to the Mitsubishi F-2 jet fighter, according to a Japanese press report.

NHK reported Monday that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' factory in Aichi Prefecture is the site of development of new engines, aircraft and radar. The project is being jointly pursued with seven domestic firms, the report said.

While the work presently is being carried out with 200 engineers, the team is to expand to 500 people. A detailed design of the new aircraft is to be ready by 2027.

After the manufacturing of prototypes and flight tests, mass production is scheduled to begin in 2031, according to NHK.

Japan will be pursuing the project with support from U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of F-35 fighters.

Tokyo began working on the F-2 successor in April 2020. The country increased its defense budget under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Kyodo News reported late Monday the first U.S. Cabinet visit to Japan under President Joe Biden is expected to include a "strong message to China" and include discussions with Tokyo on a joint response.

"China in particular is all too willing to use coercion to get its way. Here again, we see how working with our allies is critical. Our combined power makes us stronger when we must push back against China's aggression and threats," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote in a joint editorial in the Washington Post on Sunday.

Ahead of the arrival of Blinken and Austin in Japan on Monday, China's ambassador to Tokyo said in an interview with state-owned China Central Television Japan and China should "find more contact points for true peaceful coexistence."

Trust has eroded between Japan and China after Beijing enacted a law in February that allows its coast guard to use firearms in Chinese-claimed areas of the East China Sea.

Japan has warned Chinese boats against coming too close to the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands.

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