Japan Plans to Nickname Its Sixth-Gen Fighter 'Reppu', Reviving the Militarist 'Roster' of the Past

Recently, the sixth-generation fighter jet jointly developed by the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan has seen a flurry of activity. Japan has said it is preparing to give the Japanese variant of this aircraft a nickname: "Reppu" (Fierce Wind). The name "Reppu" last appeared during World War II. Back then, Japan tried to develop a new fighter to reverse its fortunes in aerial combat, and that new aircraft was named "Reppu." But after Japan's surrender, only eight prototypes and test aircraft of the "Reppu" were ever built.

Today, Japan is giving its modern equipment names borrowed from its WWII arsenal, leafing through the militarist "roster" to summon the ghosts of the past — a trend that warrants vigilance.

(CCTV reporters: Bai Chen, Lin Jingxi, Tian Feng, Li Ang, Liu Mengyuan, Zhang Weiran, Zheng Tianzi)