Japan to give Sri Lanka's navy 25 surveillance boats under its security aid programme

Japan will give the Sri Lanka Navy 25 rigid-hulled inflatable boats for coastal surveillance under its Official Security Assistance programme, in a grant worth 1 billion yen, or about 6.3 million US dollars. The Japanese government announced the package on 10 November, the same day the two countries signed the agreement in Colombo, Kyodo News reported.

According to Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror, the exchange of notes was signed by Harshana Suriyapperuma, the secretary to Sri Lanka's finance, planning and economic development ministry, and by Isomata Akio, Japan's ambassador in Colombo. The newspaper put the value of the grant at roughly 2.08 billion Sri Lankan rupees and said it is part of Japan's security assistance programme for 2026.

The boats are to be spread across five of the navy's regional commands, covering the northern, eastern, north-western, western and southern coasts, the Daily Mirror reported. They are meant for coastal surveillance and maritime law enforcement, and the paper said the aid is expected to improve the navy's readiness to deal with both traditional and non-traditional threats at sea, including illegal activity, as well as to support humanitarian and disaster relief work.

Japan's foreign ministry described Sri Lanka as a strategically important point on Indian Ocean shipping lanes, Kyodo said. The Jiji Press news agency, reporting the same ministry announcement, said the island sits on the sea route linking Asia with the Middle East and Africa, and that Tokyo hopes the aid will strengthen bilateral relations. Both agencies said the boats are also expected to be used for search and rescue and disaster response, in addition to monitoring and law enforcement.

This is the second security assistance package Japan has agreed with Sri Lanka. The first was signed in Tokyo on 29 September 2025, during a visit by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba present. That grant, worth 500 million yen, covered two types of Japanese-made unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring, surveillance and disaster relief, all destined for the Sri Lanka Navy. The Japanese embassy in Colombo said at the time that the deal marked a new phase in bilateral security cooperation.

Japan created the Official Security Assistance framework in 2023 as a grant aid channel for like-minded countries. Unlike ordinary development aid, which is meant for economic and social development, it allows a partner's armed forces to receive equipment directly, with the stated aim of strengthening their security and deterrence capabilities. Kyodo placed the Sri Lanka grants in the context of China's growing economic and military influence across the Indo-Pacific region.

Neither the Japanese nor the Sri Lankan reports gave a delivery schedule for the boats or named a builder. Once delivered, the boats will serve alongside the drones from last year's grant, with both packages aimed at helping the Sri Lanka Navy keep watch on traffic and illegal activity along the island's coasts.