In June-July 1975, the Japan Defense Agency (JDA, now Ministry of Defense) examined the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle as one of the 13 candidates for the replacement of the F-104J/DJ Starfighter and F-4EJ Phantom II.
In 1980, the Japanese government applied for access to advanced technology through the U.S.-Japan Forum (S&TF) but this was rejected.