Japan to Double Security Assistance in FY 2026
Japan plans to more than double funding on Wednesday (December 24) for its security equipment aid to like-minded countries in fiscal 2026, in view of China's increasingly assertive actions in the East and South China Seas.
- Japan's Official Security Assistance (OSA) budget will increase 2.2 times to 18.1 billion yen for the next fiscal year, expanding the program from eight to ten countries.
- The scope of aid is broadening beyond surveillance equipment to include items like ceasefire-monitoring gear, underwater support vessels, and infrastructure development.
- A key focus of the expanded program is providing domestically developed drones, with the dual goal of enhancing security and creating business opportunities for Japanese companies.
- The initiative aims to strengthen ties with foreign militaries and contribute to regional stability, with future plans to coordinate technical assistance with the US and Australia.
The government will allocate about 18.1 billion yen in its initial budget proposal for the next fiscal year from April to be adopted at a cabinet meeting on Friday.
The outlay for the official security assistance program for 10 countries is 2.2 times that for the program covering eight nations in the initial budget for the current year through March 2026.
When launching the OSA initiative in April 2023 to create a "desirable security environment for Japan," the government provided equipment chiefly for vigilance and surveillance purposes, such as patrol boats, to four countries for free.
But it has since added ceasefire-monitoring gears, vessels to support underwater operations and heavy machinery for disaster response and is going to launch an infrastructure development project by the end of fiscal 2025.
"We intend to strengthen security cooperation by meeting broader demand," a Foreign Ministry official said.
The ministry specifically plans to focus on drones, hoping that actively providing domestically developed drones for both civilian and military purposes through the program will help expand overseas business opportunities for Japanese companies.
It has already inked deals with Sri Lanka and Tonga to supply unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and disaster response purposes and is working with the trade ministry to promote such equipment to other countries.
Looking ahead, the government is considering developing the equipment aid into technical assistance in coordination with the United States and Australia.
"The initiative will help build ties with foreign militaries amid an unstable international environment," a government official said. "Japan is aiming to contribute to regional stability."
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
