Sri Lanka is among eight countries expected to receive defence aid from Japan under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) programme in fiscal year 2025, media reports from Japan said. The aid, aimed at enhancing maritime surveillance and disaster response capabilities, is expected to include Japanese-made drones. Other nations listed as potential beneficiaries include Thailand, Tonga, [...]

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Lanka to receive Japan’s defence aid

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Sri Lanka is among eight countries expected to receive defence aid from Japan under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) programme in fiscal year 2025, media reports from Japan said.

The aid, aimed at enhancing maritime surveillance and disaster response capabilities, is expected to include Japanese-made drones. Other nations listed as potential beneficiaries include Thailand, Tonga, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.

However, Deputy Defence Minister Major General Aruna Jayasekara told the Sunday Times that discussions were only just beginning. “No timelines or next steps have been agreed on because the offer is just starting to get considered and we have just sat down at the table to talk.”

Japan launched the OSA scheme in April 2023 to support like-minded countries in strengthening defence capacities, particularly amid rising security tensions in the Indo-Pacific region due to China’s growing military assertiveness.

In previous years, recipients of the OSA programme have included Bangladesh, Djibouti, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, and the Philippines. Notably, in May, Japan delivered a rescue boat and surveillance gear to the Fijian navy—the first handover under the framework.

Japan’s fiscal 2025 budget has earmarked 8.1 billion yen (approximately USD 56 million) for OSA-related aid, up from 5 billion yen in 2024 and 2 billion yen in 2023.

The Japanese embassy in Colombo
did not respond to the query made by the Sunday Times.

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