Japan Eyes Drone Exports Amid Asian Allies’ Interest
Countries under Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA) program have expressed interest in Tokyo’s dual-use drones, prompting the East Asian country to explore exporting them.
The island nation is reportedly collecting information from domestic firms about their capabilities and participating in ongoing discussions with OSA recipients to determine which systems can possibly be included in a military aid package.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested that the OSA budget be increased from approximately $20 million to nearly $53 million for the upcoming fiscal year, starting in April.
If approved, this could serve as a green light for Tokyo to supply drones to countries that have shown interest and expand it further in the future.
“We are very interested in discussing the equipment needs of the candidate countries, including drones and related equipment, but nothing has been decided at this point,” an unnamed government official shared with The Japan Times.
Official Security Assistance
In response to China’s increasing military activities in the region, Japan established the OSA in April 2023 to strengthen security cooperation among “like-minded countries” in activities ensuring peace based on the rule of law and humanitarian missions.
It will do so by providing defense-related equipment, supplies, and infrastructure development assistance, which were not allowed under Tokyo’s social and economic assistance program: the Official Development Assistance (ODA) for developing countries.
The first batch of OSA recipients included the Philippines and Malaysia, both embroiled in territorial disputes with Beijing over certain parts of the South China Sea.
Bangladesh and Fiji also received security assistance due to their strategic locations.
The fiscal years 2024 to 2025 saw the addition of Vietnam, Djibouti, and Mongolia, with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea being eyed as potential recipients.
