Why Japan might seek a newer carrier design than Queen Elizabeth

Would Japan buy access to the Queen Elizabeth-class carrier design?

That seemed unlikely because Japan preferred its own designs and might want a newer starting point by the time it moved to carriers of that size.

Buying the Queen Elizabeth design looked unlikely for Japan in this 2020 assessment. Japan generally built its warships to indigenous designs. Moving from large helicopter-carrying destroyers to a carrier of Queen Elizabeth's size would also require a considerable step in capability. By the time Japan wanted such a ship, the British design could be too old to provide the most attractive starting point.