TOKYO -- Japan will give five military training aircraft to the Philippines at the end of March 2018 to help bolster the Southeast Asian country's ability to protect its coast, Japan's Ministry of Defense said Wednesday.
The deal follows a change in Japanese law during the last ordinary session of parliament that paved the way for donating secondhand defense equipment to developing countries. In addition to two TC-90 planes currently on lease to the Philippines, three more that were scheduled to be leased from next March will also be handed over for free.
