Japan has named this year’s recipients of its Official Security Assistance scheme, amounting to $56 million for fiscal year 2025, Kyodo News reported.
The allocation to the eight countries – Thailand, Tonga, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Sri Lanka – represents an increase from the OSA budgets in previous years. The 2025 amount is part of the $733 billion budget approved by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s cabinet in December.
Drones for Surveillance and Relief Efforts
A government source said Tokyo plans to supply the countries with Japanese-made drones to support their maritime surveillance missions and natural disaster relief efforts.
The OSA for FY 2025 is also geared to ensure navigation security in the Indo-Pacific region’s sea lanes where China has been assertive in its military posturing, the source added. Implementation started in April, with the Fijian Navy being the first awardee with a rescue boat and surveillance system in May.
Securing Sea Lanes
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during a visit to the Japanese navy port of Yokosuka, urged allied nations to work together to secure open sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific. He noted that increased military cooperation and exercises by China, North Korea and Russia not only undermine global security but also create interconnected implications between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.