The government of Japan will help the Philippines with a $110 Million loan to purchase ten Coast Guard patrol boats.

Although this is not officially about China’s continual encroachment into near-by waters, Japan and the Philippines and several other Asian neighbors have territorial disputes with China.

Japanese newspaper Nikkei Business Daily is reporting that Japan will also donate an unspecified number of patrol boats before year’s end.  These watercraft cost $11 million each.  Tokyo has been helping the Philippines modernize its coast guard and is even providing funding for joint training exercises with Vietnam to boost military cooperation amongst Southeast Asia’s smaller nations.

China is claiming sovereignty over large swaths of the South China Sea off of the Philippines.  Manila is responding by taking its case against China before an international arbitration tribunal, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.