Japan's Next Gen Fighters

Japan has made the official proposal for new fighter aircraft.They are getting offers from Lockheed Martin, with the F-35 Lightning II, Boeing, with the F/A-18 Super Hornet, and from Europe, with the Eurofighter Typhoon. They are hoping to get 40 aircraft to replace the older McDonald Douglas F-4 Phantoms. They are looking for these qualities in the aircraft: stealth and information-processing capabilities, maintenance and other costs involved, level of involvement of Japanese firms, and support systems after purchase.