Japan expands Official Security Assistance scheme, flexes clout in more nations
The Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia and Djibouti appear set to become the latest recipients of Tokyo’s non-lethal military aid
The recipient nations are likely to receive non-lethal military equipment such as radar to improve their maritime surveillance and communications capabilities, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Saturday.
Unveiled by the Japanese government in April last year, the OSA framework aims to address the growing security challenges faced by nations in the Indo-Pacific region.
By including Mongolia and Djibouti in this year’s assistance plan, analysts say Japan seeks to extend its geopolitical influence across more regions.
“Japan has a strong record of delivering overseas development help for poverty reduction efforts, so now this OSA is focused on the security sphere,” said James Brown, an international-relations professor at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.