Japan to provide defense equipment to Philippines, 3 other nations

Japan plans to provide defense equipment to the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia and Djibouti under its official security assistance to the armed forces of like-minded countries that share its values, a government source said Saturday.The four countries have been designated as the recipients of the OSA grant aid for fiscal 2024 through March next year, with Japan earmarking 5 billion yen ($33 million) in its initial budget for the current fiscal year, the source said.Tokyo launched the OSA in April 2023 to help recipient countries ramp up their defense capabilities amid security concerns li…READ FULL ARTICLE