Japan Just Sent Radar and Drones to the Philippines. That Is What a Real Ally Looks Like.

Tokyo signed a 4.3-billion-yen security grant with Manila on Monday — its first transfer of defense equipment under its security-aid program. Americans who are tired of carrying the whole load in the Pacific should cheer.

By Clara Hughes

For years, Americans have been told that keeping the peace in the Pacific is Washington's job alone. On Monday, Japan showed what burden-sharing actually looks like. In Manila, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Japanese Ambassador Kitagawa Katsuro signed a 4.3-billion-yen security grant — about $27 million, the Associated Press reported. It will give the Philippine Navy a coastal radar system and the Philippine Air Force surveillance drones, the Philippine News Agency reported. Keep reading with Altas Premium. Below: why this deal is