Japan to provide military aid to developing countries

The Japanese government plans to announce a programme to provide military assistance to developing partner countries.

The aid includes Bangladesh, Malaysia, Fiji and the Philippines, according to the Tokyo-based newspaper Yomiuri.

The assistance will be provided as part of a new system named OSA (Official Security Assistance), which is designed to "strengthen security capacity, especially in developing countries," and should "contribute to regional stability", the newspaper adds.

The system will operate under the three armament principles, according to which Japan does not give non-lethal weapons to countries if it violates its international obligations or treaties, or if there is a military conflict in the country.

According to Yomiuri, the OSA system is also aimed at building infrastructure - such as ports or airfields - used by the military.

As part of the first aid phase, the Philippine military could be supplied with radars. It is expected to help the country protect itself from Chinese activity in the South China Sea. Japan has budgeted about 2 billion yen ($14.9 million) for the new initiative in the current fiscal year.

The aid system’s goal is to "counter China and Russia, which are stepping up their hegemonic activities".

In January, the Japanese parliament approved a new development strategy for the country. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cited the military conflict in Ukraine and security threats to Asia from China and North Korea as the main challenges, justifying a record $43 trillion ($330 billion) in defence spending over the next five years. However, polls show that a majority of Japanese disapprove of the country's militarisation.