@ Gifu, Japan
April 2026
A beautiful Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-104 Starfighter on display at the Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum. This Starfighter was flown by 201st Hikotai, a unit established for training F-104J pilots. In 1960, the Japanese government selected the F-104 as its standard air superiority fighter. An industrial venture led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries would handle license manufacturing of the Starfighter in Japan. Designated F-104J, it was similar in overall structure to the F-104G, but was equipped as a defensive all-weather interceptor rather than an offensive air-to-ground strike aircraft to meet postwar restrictions. A total of 178 F-104Js were constructed by Mitsubishi. In December of 1981, Japanese Starfighters were replaced by Mitsubishi-built F-15J Eagles. The last JASDF F-104J was retired in March of 1986. The F-104 was the first aircraft to achieve sustained Mach 2 flight and the first to hold speed and altitude records simultaneously, as well as the first to reach 100,000 feet. While the USAF only purchased 296 F-104s, improved F-104s sold very well overseas, serving as late as 2004.
