Japan aids armed forces of China's neighbors
Part of this aid is landmine clearance in countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia.
Tracer bullets ricochet off their targets as the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force Type 74 and Type 90 armoured tanks fire machine guns during a night annual training session at Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, west of Tokyo, August 21, 2012. Mt. Fuji is seen in the background. (Xinhua/Reuters)
Japan’s Defense Ministry has begun providing technical assistance in ”non-combat fields” such as landmine clearance and medical treatment to the armed forces of six countries surrounding China.
The official development assistance (ODA) handled by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs bans funding armed forces overseas, but the technical assistance program being carried out by the Japan Self-Defense Forces falls outside the ODA parameters, the Asahi Shimbun, one of the five national newspapers in Japan, reported on Aug. 26.
