TOKYO — Mitsubishi, a maker of the Zero fighter, has taken a step toward reclaiming Japan’s one-time status as an aviation power with the maiden flight of its regional jet.
The aircraft took off early Wednesday in the central Japanese city of Nagoya, as seen in a live webcast.
The flight was due to take an hour.
Mitsubishi pushed back the jet’s first flight by a few months but said the delay would not affect its planned commercial deliveries.
The project reflects a desire to turn Japan’s modern engineering and manufacturing prowess into a top-tier aircraft industry, some 70 years after Japan suspended making planes following its defeat in World War II.
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