REUTERS
April 5, 2023 at 16:30 JST
An Air Self-Defense Force’s surveillance radar unit, which was used as a model for the system to be exported to the Philippines (Provided by the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency)
Japan on Wednesday said it plans to offer friendly nations financial assistance to help them bolster their defenses, marking Tokyo’s first unambiguous departure from rules that forbid using international aid for military purposes.
Japan’s Overseas Security Assistance (OSA) will be operated separately from the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) program that for decades has funded roads, dams and other civilian infrastructure projects, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular news conference.
The aid will not be used to buy lethal weapons that recipient countries could use in conflicts with other nations in accordance with the three principles that govern arms exports, Matsuno added.
The decision to expand the scope of international aid to military-related projects follows Japan’s announcement in December of a military buildup that will double defense spending within five years as it looks to counter China’s growing military might in Asia.
The first recipients of that security aid will likely be the Philippines, which wants radars to monitor Chinese activity in the contested South China Sea, along with Malaysia, Bangladesh and Fiji, it was reported.
Aid, rescuers rushed to Turkey, Syria after deadly quake
February 7, 2023
U.S. sending advanced rocket systems, other aid to Ukraine
June 24, 2022
FM Motegi warns of aid rethink if Myanmar situation does not improve
May 21, 2021
Myanmar army officers broke into Japanese diplomat’s home
July 5, 2021
Rallies staged in Japan on anniversary of Myanmar coup
February 2, 2022
Freed Japan reporter calls on Tokyo to take ‘concrete action’ against Myanmar junta
May 21, 2021
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
