Japan to provide Sri Lanka surveillance boats under security aid program

Japan will provide the Sri Lanka Navy with surveillance boats worth 1 billion yen ($6.3 million) under its security aid framework designed to support like-minded partners, the Japanese government said Tuesday.The two governments signed an agreement in Colombo for the provision of rigid-hulled inflatable boats under Japan's Official Security Assistance program, launched in 2023, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.The ministry described Sri Lanka as a "point of strategic importance on sea lanes" in the Indian Ocean and said the equipment is expected to enhance the navy's "capabiliti…READ FULL ARTICLE