PH receives coastal radar systems from Japan
The Philippines has formally received equipment from Japan for the setup of five coastal radar systems, as both countries work toward deeper security cooperation in the region.
The ceremonial handover held at Camp Aguinaldo on Wednesday was part of Tokyo’s Official Security Assistance (OSA) program for Manila for fiscal year 2023.
Funded through a 600-million yen grant under Japan’s OSA framework, the project includes radar units, surveillance and monitoring equipment, communications systems and other support components, according to the Department of National Defense.
The systems are expected to enhance the Philippine Navy’s ability to monitor surrounding waters, improve early detection and tracking of surface contacts, and strengthen coordination in maritime operations.
Important for stability
They will also support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and other security operations.
“This occasion marks not only the transfer of critical equipment from Japan to the Philippines but also a meaningful milestone in the steadily deepening partnership between our two countries,” Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazua said in his remarks during the handover.
He said peace and stability “cannot be taken for granted” and must be actively and collectively sustained, adding that enhancing the Philippines’ maritime domain awareness contributes to regional and global stability.
Japan’s OSA program, established under Tokyo’s 2022 National Security Strategy, provides security assistance to like-minded countries. Since its launch in 2023, the Philippines has been the only country to receive OSA support for three consecutive years, Endo said.
The diplomat also noted that Japan had approved the construction of boat houses and slipways for rigid-hulled inflatable boats for the Philippine Navy, an unprecedented infrastructure project under the OSA.
Defese Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. thanked Japan for its “concrete contributions in widening and deepening our bilateral and multilateral ties” toward achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific and maintaining regional peace and stability.
“There is mutual trust and sincerity. Japan’s approach to its bilateral relations with the Philippines has been rooted in fundamental sincerity and values,” Teodoro said.
