Photo courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
On November 3, in Manila, Mr. KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines and Hon. Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines signed and exchanged notes for 600 million yen in “Official Security Assistance (OSA)” grant aid in the presence of Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, and H.E. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines.
OSA was established in 2023 as a new cooperation framework for the benefit of armed forces and other related organizations of recipient countries with the aim of deepening our security cooperation with the countries, creating a desirable security environment, and contributing to maintaining and strengthening international peace and security, by enhancing their security and deterrence capabilities through the provision of equipment and supplies as well as assistance for the development of infrastructures. This is the first OSA programme to be implemented after its establishment.
The Philippines faces important sea lanes for Japan including the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait. To ensure the safety and security of these sea lanes, it is very timely and crucial that the maritime domain awareness (MDA) capabilities of the Department of National Defense, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and especially the Philippine Navy, are enhanced for the effective monitoring of these sea lanes and waters.
This programme aims to provide coastal radar systems to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in particular, the Philippine Navy which is expected to strengthen its coastal surveillance and MDA capabilities and to contribute to maintenance and enhancement of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.