Japan mulls over requests for defence equipment from Southeast Asia

Japan is studying several requests from Southeast Asian governments for donations of defence equipment.

However, Japanese operational requirements will take precedence over assistance to foreign governments, a top military official has told Jane’s.

Japan is studying requests by Southeast Asian countries to donate military equipment but refuted reports that it has offered Malaysia the P-3C aircraft, two of which are pictured here. Source: JMSDF

The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) has said it is aware of several requests from countries in the Southeast Asian region for donations of excess defence equipment.

Besides military hardware, the Japanese government has also been approached by these Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to share technical knowledge and expand on bilateral military collaborations.

Japan has donated five King Air TC-90 aircraft, which were previously in service with the JMSDF’s training squadron, to the Philippine government as part of wider efforts to improve maritime capabilities of its partners in Southeast Asia.

Two of the airframes have been delivered to the Philippine Navy, while three other aircraft are currently scheduled for handover in 2018. The JMSDF is also providing training support on the TC-90 platform for Philippine Navy pilots and maintenance crew.

To strengthen its defence relationships with countries in Southeast Asia, the Japanese government has embarked on several initiatives to improve maritime of government agencies in the region in recent years, especially with those from the Philippines.

Besides the transfer of TC-90 aircraft, Tokyo has also aided the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to procure 10 new multirole response vessels from Japanese shipbuilder Japan Maritime United Corporation (JMUC). The PCG has so far received seven vessels in the programme, and is scheduled to receive the remaining hulls by the end of 2018.

Jane's