After the Philippines and Vietnam, has Japan seized another city in Southeast Asia?
The Japanese government announced on the 19th that, under the "Government Security Capability Enhancement Support" (OSA) framework, it will provide communication equipment and patrol boats to Cambodia's Army and Navy respectively, with a total value of up to 500 million yen—approximately 20.86 million RMB.
This marks Japan's first provision of defense equipment to Cambodia through the OSA mechanism, and both sides plan to further strengthen cooperation in security matters.
Japan's move primarily serves two major objectives.
First, to succeed the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy and counterbalance China's influence. Prior to Cambodia, Japan had already supplied similar equipment to other "like-minded" countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam. From a map perspective, this clearly demonstrates Japan's effort to weave a security cooperation network covering Southeast Asia and Pacific island nations, aiming strategically to encircle China.
Second, to leverage foreign aid to open overseas markets and further advance military normalization. The OSA is Japan's first postwar mechanism enabling direct export of military equipment abroad. By continuously expanding the OSA's budget and scope, Japan not only opens new markets for its defense industry but also gains justification to break free from constraints imposed by the "exclusive defense" principle and the ban on arms exports, thereby moving further toward becoming a "military power."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871290683269319/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.