Melmothtw, not necessarily. Indeed, many of your questions are ones that I would pose. However, to select a non-NATO aircraft ahead of America's best could well indicate that a thorough and non-biased procurement process had been followed; best meets the requirement.
I think there is still much scope for (accusations of) cronyism in defence procurement. if the P1 is the best all-round deal, then there should be absolutely no resistance to it's purchase. Personally, as a tax payer, I want value for money and capability. I think the Japanese have rather a good track record as far as maritime stuff is concerned and, judging by their cars, they're also pretty darn good at building things.
