Japan Pledges Defense Support to Cambodia with Communications Gear, Patrol Boats

Japan and Cambodia have formally signed an agreement that will see the Japanese government supply advanced communications equipment and patrol boats to the army and navy of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF). The assistance, valued at approximately $3 million, will be provided to Cambodia under the Official Security Assistance (OSA) project for the 2026 fiscal year. A July 19 signing ceremony took place between outgoing Japanese ambassador to Cambodia, Ueno Atsushi, and Cambodian Minister of National Defence Tea Seiha. According to the ambassador, the OSA project was launched in April 2023 as a specialised grant aid framework. Its purpose is to enhance the security and deterrence capabilities of like-minded countries, promote closer cooperation with Japan, maintain international peace and cultivate a security environment which is favourable to Japan. He explained that to achieve these goals, the initiative provides equipment and infrastructure support to the military forces of countries that share fundamental values and perspectives, including the principle of the rule of law. Ueno noted that Cambodia is at the core of the Southern Economic Corridor and is a Comprehensive Strategic Partner of Japan. He emphasised that Cambodia’s development is vital for stability and prosperity, not only within ASEAN but also across the entire region. “We believe that contributing to the strengthening of Cambodia’s security capacity, as well as maintaining and strengthening regional peace and stability through this OSA project, is highly significant for bolstering the security relationship between Japan and Cambodia,” he said. “In particular, we expect that the support through the OSA project for the Cambodian Army will create effective mutual cooperation alongside exchange programmes between communication experts from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Cambodian Army. This aims to establish the first-ever communication school for the Army of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces,” he added. Cambodia and Japan elevated their relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in 2023. Ueno noted that since then, bilateral cooperation has flourished in all fields, with security cooperation, in particular, making remarkable progress. One notable milestone in military cooperation mentioned by the Ambassador was the docking of two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels at the Ream Naval Base in April 2025. These were reportedly the first foreign vessels to dock at the base following its modernisation. According to the ambassador, since 2023, the OSA program has been implemented with the Philippines and Malaysia, and has since expanded across Asia and the Indo-Pacific to include countries such as Indonesia, Djibouti and Sri Lanka. To date, 12 countries have received this assistance, making Cambodia the 13th recipient of the programme.