第三国輸出、３月へ結論先送り　防衛装備共同開発で自公

　自民、公明両党の政調会長は２８日、国際共同開発した防衛装備完成品の第三国輸出の可否について、国会内で２回目の協議を開いた。政府側は英国、イタリアとの次期戦闘機開発計画との絡みで２月中に容認の結論を出すよう求めてきたが、合意に至らず、決着を３月以降に持ち越した。
　協議では早期の合意に向けて調整を続ける方針を確認。この後、自民の渡海紀三朗政調会長は記者団に「双方の考えや方向性はかなり距離が縮まってきた」と強調した。公明の高木陽介政調会長も「だいぶ距離が縮まってきたのは確かだ。速やかな合意を目指したい」と述べた。
　次回は３月前半に開かれる見通し。政府・自民は慎重な姿勢を取る公明の理解を得るため、当面は次期戦闘機に限って容認する案を検討している。（2024/02/28-19:18）

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, failed on Wednesday to decide whether to allow Japan to export finished defense equipment jointly developed with other countries to third nations.
   At their second meeting on the issue, policy chiefs from the parties agreed to continue efforts to reach an agreement at the next meeting in March.
   The Japanese government has asked the ruling coalition to give the nod to the proposed exports by the end of this month, ahead of the start next month of full-fledged talks with Britain and Italy on the development of a next-generation fighter jet to replace the F-2 fighter of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.
   After the meeting, also attended by senior government officials, LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Kisaburo Tokai and his Komeito counterpart, Yosuke Takagi, both told reporters that the gap between the two parties "has narrowed to a large degree."
   To win Komeito's consent, the government and the LDP are now considering proposing at the next meeting that third-country exports be limited to the fighter to be developed by the three countries, informed sources said.