Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force soldiers at a training session in the Philippines. Photo: AP
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https://scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3132302/japan-offers-defence-tools-philippines-amid-chinas-claims Southeast Asia
Japan offers defence tools to Philippines amid China’s claims in South, East China seas
- In the US$1.1 million deal, Japan will deliver disaster-relief tools such as jackhammers, sonars and engine cutters
- Japan has been stepping up defence and security cooperation with the Philippines, one of the countries involved in territorial disputes with China
Philippine Marines and Armed Forces reservists train in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Philippines. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan has begun providing the Philippine military with life-saving equipment adopted by the Self-Defence Forces, said defence and foreign ministry officials, making it the first time Tokyo has offered SDF equipment to a foreign armed force using its official development assistance (ODA).
The supply of the equipment, also available for civilian use, is intended to strengthen defence ties with the Philippines as the two countries are faced with China’s assertive claims in the East and South China seas.
The aid was made possible following Japan’s policy shift in its 2015 foreign aid charter that enabled the government to use ODA to support foreign armed forces in noncombat areas such as disaster relief, infrastructure building and coastguard activities.
Closer defence ties between Tokyo and Manila came on top of a US$100 million agreement in August last year that allows Mitsubishi Electric Corp to export an air radar system to the Philippines armed forces.
The latest deal involves ODA totalling 120 million yen (US$1.1 million) for the delivery of disaster-relief tools including jackhammers, sonars, and engine cutters among others, according to the Defence Ministry.
After the delivery is completed, Ground Self-Defence Force personnel will be sent to train units of the Philippine forces in their use, the ministry said.
Japan has been stepping up defence and security cooperation with the Philippines, one of the countries involved in territorial disputes with China, whose militarisation of disputed outposts in the South China Sea is stoking concerns about peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We hope the provision of the aid will deepen bilateral relations with the strategically important regional partner,” a Foreign Ministry official said.
Between 2016 and 2018, the Philippines commissioned into service a total of 10 Japanese-made 44-metre-long patrol vessels to add to its coastguard fleet through a Japanese foreign aid loan.
Two more such ships measuring 94 metres in length are set to be deployed around 2022.
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Philippine coastguard sends strong warning to Chinese vessels during South China Sea patrol
The Philippines has for years been embroiled in a dispute over Beijing’s sweeping claims of sovereignty over the South China Sea, known as the West Philippine Sea by Manila.
Tensions between the two countries have recently escalated after Manila accused China of territorial incursions by hundreds of its vessels in the resource-rich waterway.
The Philippines has filed diplomatic protests against China over what it calls the “illegal” presence of the Chinese vessels, which it says are manned by militia.
On Tuesday, Manila rejected an annual summer fishing ban imposed by China in the South China Sea and encouraged its boats to continue fishing in 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 as well as other waters off China.
“This fishing ban does not apply to our fishermen,” the Philippines’ South China Sea taskforce said in a statement late on Tuesday.