Japan has began providing the Philippine military with emergency equipment adopted by the Self-Defense Forces, defense and foreign ministry officials said, marking the primary time Tokyo has offered SDF equipment to foreign militaries under official development assistance (ODA). .
The aid was made possible after Japan’s policy change in its 2015 Foreign Assistance Charter, which allowed the federal government to make use of official development assistance (ODA) to support foreign militaries in non-combat areas comparable to disaster relief, infrastructure construction and coast guard operations.
In his conversation with Modi, Suga expresses “serious concern” about China’s maritime activities
In his conversation with Modi, Suga expresses “serious concern” about China’s maritime activities
The strengthening of defense ties between Tokyo and Manila follows the signing of a $100 million deal last August that permits Mitsubishi Electric Corp to export an airborne radar system to the Philippine armed forces.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the most recent agreement includes official development assistance price 120 million yen ($1.1 million) for the availability of disaster relief tools, including jackhammers, sonars and engine cutters, amongst others.
The ministry said that after the deliveries are accomplished, Ground Self-Defense Force personnel shall be sent to coach Philippine military units of their use.
“We hope that providing assistance will deepen bilateral relations with a strategically important regional partner,” said an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Between 2016 and 2018, the Philippines commissioned a complete of 10 Japanese-made 44-meter-long patrol vessels to be augmented with the Coast Guard fleet under a Japanese foreign aid loan.
Two more such 94-meter-long ships are scheduled to be deployed around 2022.
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The Philippine Coast Guard sends a stern warning to Chinese ships while on patrol within the South China Sea
The Philippine Coast Guard sends a stern warning to Chinese ships while on patrol within the South China Sea
The Philippines has been embroiled in a dispute for years over Beijing’s extensive claims to sovereignty over the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
Tensions between the 2 countries recently escalated after Manila accused China of territorial incursions into the resource-rich waterway by a whole lot of its ships.
The Philippines has lodged diplomatic protests against China over what it calls the “illegal” presence of Chinese ships it says are operated by militias.
Manila on Tuesday rejected a one-year fishing ban imposed by China over the summer within the South China Sea and encouraged its boats to proceed fishing within the country’s territorial waters.
The fishing moratorium imposed by China since 1999 runs from May 1 to August 16 and covers areas of the South China Sea and other waters off China’s coast.
“This fishing ban does not affect our fishermen,” the Philippine South China Sea Task Force said in an announcement late Tuesday.
This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: offers official development assistance within the delivery of apparatus to the Philippines and Japan
