Japan Ramps Up Response to #SouthChinaSea with Philippine Aid Pact

​Materiel and training on the plate for Manila

Time to write that wish list​:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/12177424/Japan-to-supply-Philippines-with-military-hardware-amid-growing-tensions-with-China.html

​ALSO: First on the menu — maritime patrol aircraft

Japan has already signed an agreement to lease the Philippine Air Force TC-90 (Beech King Air) twin-engine trainers. While this seems like a seems like a modest step, they will give the PAF a significantly improved maritime patrol capability. Note also that the US military used the King Air as a platform for a number of critical missions, including the predecessor to Guardrail.

More at http://www.the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002780035​

AND: Analysis — Stronger ties necessary to put brake on China

The lease of defense equipment requires an agreement based on the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology. Besides the Philippines, with which Japan was to conclude the agreement Monday, there are no other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries that have concluded such an agreement with Japan. Necessary domestic legislation has yet to be fully established, such as a special measures law to enable the provision of defense equipment at low prices.

To put a brake on China’s maritime expansion, it is extremely important to cooperate not only with the United States but also with ASEAN countries.

​More at http://www.the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002780071

Originally published at b-copy.com on March 1, 2016.