World News | Fri Aug 12, 2016 2:47am EDT
Japan in talks to deliver two coast guard ships to Philippines

By Manuel Mogato | MANILA

Japan and the Philippines have begun talks for the transfer of two large coast guard ships to Manila, to help patrol the disputed South China Sea, a Japanese foreign ministry official said on Friday, as part of a deal on defense equipment.

The two brand-new 90-metre (295-ft) multi-role response vessels will be in addition to ten 44-metre (144-ft) mid-sized coast guard ships, worth 8.8 billion pesos ($188.52 million), that Japan is set to start delivering next week.

"Both governments are looking into the possibility of getting two more vessels, this time the bigger ones," Masato Ohtaka, deputy spokesman of Japan's foreign ministry, told journalists in Manila.

"We're in the middle of dialogue between the two sides, they are still discussing details and we need a little more time."

The ship delivery figured in an 80-minute meeting between Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday in southern Davao City.

"We talked about how Japan can help the Philippines in capacity building, particularly with regards to maritime security," Ohtaka added.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea where about $5 trillion worth of trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the sea believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas.

Japan has no claim in the South China Sea but it is in dispute with China over small islands in the East China Sea.

China says it has "indisputable sovereignty" over the area it claims and has refused to recognize the court ruling handed down last month in a case brought by the Philippines.

Japan urged China to adhere to the ruling, saying it was binding, prompting a warning from China not to interfere.

"We are very concerned," Ohtaka said, adding that developments in the East China Sea could parallel those in the South China Sea, where Beijing has stepped up the constant presence of its coast guard ships.

Japan last week reported a flurry of incursions by Chinese vessels into waters Tokyo sees as its own near the disputed East China Sea islands it controls. China is reported to have put up radar and surveillance facilities in the area.

"It's not getting better in the East China Sea," Ohtaka added.

($1=46.6800 Philippine pesos)

(Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-philippines-japan-idUSKCN10N0NI

World News | Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:18am EST
Manila asks Japan for large ships to patrol South China Sea

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may consider a request from the Philippines for large coastguard ships to patrol the disputed South China Sea, after the two allies reached a deal on defense equipment and technology.

China has overlapping claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

The Philippines is the Southeast Asian nation most at odds with China over the South China Sea. Tokyo has no claims in the waterway, but worries about China's growing military reach into sea lanes through which much of Japan's ship-borne trade passes.

The deal will mark the first time Japan has agreed to directly donate military equipment to another country, and is the latest example of Abe's more muscular security agenda.

"There was a request from President Benigno Aquino regarding the provision of large patrol vessels to the Philippine Coast Guard and Japan would like to consider the specifics," Abe said in a statement.

The two leaders met on Thursday night at the close of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila.

Abe said he welcomed the deal and "agreed to work together for the early signing of the agreement and the realization of cooperation in defense equipment".

There have been media reports that Tokyo would supply Manila with three used Beechcraft TC-90 King Air aircraft suitable for maritime surveillance in the South China Sea. Manila had also sought Lockheed Martin submarine-hunting P3-C patrol planes.

Rather than challenge Beijing directly by sending warships or planes to patrol the South China Sea, Japan is helping to build the military capacity of friendly nations with claims to parts of the waterway.

"These negotiations take some time," a senior Japanese official told Reuters, saying it could take one or two years before the two sides sign a deal on defense equipment and technology.

"Japan wants an assurance that any equipment it will give will not be transferred to a third country."

To allow the donation, Japanese lawmakers will either have to tweak curbs on sales of government-owned equipment, or set up a separate financing mechanism.

Japan is also building 10 40-metre (131-ft) -long vessels for the Philippine coastguard. Manila needs 100-metre (328-ft) -long patrol ships.

Japan changed defense policy this year in a shift that could let troops fight overseas for the first time since 1945. The move was welcomed by ally the United States, but fed concern in China, where memories of Japan's wartime aggression run deep.

(Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-japan-idUSKCN0T90DX20151120