Japan to Supply Radar and Drones to Philippines Amid Regional Tensions
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Japan announced on Monday that it will deliver a radar system and multiple unmanned aerial vehicles to the Philippine military as part of its security cooperation program with allied nations. This move comes amid escalating tensions with China in the region’s waters.
Under an agreement valued at 4.3 billion yen, equivalent to approximately $27 million, signed in Manila by Maria Teresa Lazaro, the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and Katsuro Kitagawa, Japan’s Ambassador to the country, the drones will be handed over to the Philippine Air Force for reconnaissance and surveillance missions.
The provision of a coastal radar system to the Philippine Navy, within the framework of Japan’s Official Security Assistance program launched in 2023, marks the first transfer of fully Japanese-made defense equipment to a like-minded foreign country under this initiative.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the project “holds significant importance in advancing security cooperation between Japan and the Philippines, enhancing the security of vital sea lanes for Japan, and contributing to the maintenance and strengthening of regional peace and stability.”
Tokyo and Manila have expanded their bilateral security cooperation in recent years. Both nations, considered allies of the United States in Asia, have expressed concerns over China’s increasing military activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
China claims sovereignty over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are under Japanese control. Beijing also has territorial disputes with the Philippines and several other countries in the South China Sea.
