Japan grants Philippines coastal radar and drones in 4.3 billion yen security aid package

Japan has agreed to provide the Philippine military with a coastal radar system and surveillance drones in a grant worth 4.3 billion yen, as the two countries deepen defence cooperation amid tensions in the South China Sea. The agreement was signed in Manila by Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Japan's ambassador, Katsuro Kitagawa. The equipment is intended to help the Philippines track ships and monitor key sea lanes.

Under the deal, the radar system will go to the Philippine Navy and the drones to the Air Force. Japan said the package would also help protect shipping routes important to its own interests, including those through the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan. Tokyo said the new radar would be the first complete defence system it has supplied under its Official Security Assistance programme.

The grant is valued at about €24 million. The announcement comes after Japan handed over five coastal radar systems to the Philippines in February under a separate 2023 grant. It also follows a period of renewed friction around Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by both the Philippines and China.

China's military said it sent ships and aircraft on patrol there on 30 October, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later urged Manila to act cautiously in a phone call on 3 November. Lazaro described that conversation as frank and constructive, saying both sides wanted to keep talking. The deal matters because it adds to Japan's expanding security role in the region and to the Philippines' efforts to improve maritime surveillance.

Beijing has criticised Japan's Official Security Assistance programme since it was created, saying it is being used to build a security network around China under the cover of development aid. China has also accused Tokyo of using security partnerships with regional states to advance US strategic interests. Japan and the Philippines are also discussing the possible transfer of an Abukuma-class destroyer to the Philippine navy.

The wider backdrop is a long-running dispute over China's claims in the South China Sea. China says it has historic rights to resources across much of the waterway, while an international tribunal ruled in 2016, in a case brought by the Philippines, that those claims had no legal basis where they exceeded rights under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing has rejected that ruling.

The Philippines has also been seeking additional support from partners, including a separate €15 million package approved by the European Union in July to help its forces monitor national waters. What remains unclear is how quickly the new Japanese equipment will be delivered and when it will become operational. It is also not yet clear how the grant will affect the broader military balance around disputed waters.

#Japan #Philippines #coastalradar #surveillancedrones #SouthChinaSea

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.