JAPAN has handed over a third batch of patrol boats to Fiji under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) programme, deepening a defence partnership both governments say is focused on maritime security, law enforcement and regional stability.
Japanese Ambassador to Fiji Hiroshi Tajima said the programme, launched in April 2023, is designed to strengthen the operational capacity of partner countries through defence equipment, supplies, infrastructure support and capacity building.
He said Fiji was among the first four countries chosen for the initiative.
“This not only shows how highly Japan values its partnership with Fiji, but it also portrays Fiji’s rising prominence as a leading country amongst the island nations of the Pacific for ensuring regional stability, security, and the rule of law,” Tajima said.
He added that the assistance supports Japan’s vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and reflects a broader commitment to peace and stability in the region.
Japan has committed about $FJ6 million, for Fiji’s 2023 OSA project. The latest delivery follows a first batch handed over in May 2025 and a second batch, including a rigid-hull inflatable boat, in October 2025. The third batch consists of patrol boats intended to strengthen the Fiji Navy’s maritime security and maritime law enforcement capabilities.
Tajima said the boats would improve surveillance and help the navy respond more effectively to suspicious or illegal activity at sea.
“The assistance is aimed at confronting a range of maritime threats, including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, transnational organised crime, drug smuggling and human trafficking.”
The ambassador also praised the Fiji Navy’s work at sea, saying its personnel had helped save more than 1,000 lives in 2024 through search-and-rescue operations and enhanced surveillance.
“The number of cases requiring assistance had fallen to about 200 in 2025, attributing the improvement to enhanced maritime security and proactive prevention.”
Strengthening Maritime Security
Fiji’s Minister for Defence and Veterans Affairs, Pio Tikoduadua, said the patrol boats represented a practical investment in national security.
“For Fiji, maritime security is national security,” he said, arguing that as a large ocean state, the country’s prosperity, sovereignty and public welfare depend on a safe and secure maritime domain.
Tikoduadua said the new vessels would help the navy “undertake maritime surveillance and enforce our laws at sea, respond to emergencies, conduct search and rescue operations, and protect Fiji’s maritime resources.”
He said the handover was more than a delivery of equipment, calling it “another practical demonstration of the strong partnership between Fiji and Japan.”
The minister said the two countries have broadened cooperation in recent years through defence dialogue, professional military education, capacity building and exchanges between their defence forces and ministries.
He also thanked Japan for future assistance with the redevelopment of the Third Fiji Infantry Regiment headquarters, saying the project would further strengthen Fiji’s defence capability and support the welfare of its personnel.
Both sides framed the handover as part of a long-term security relationship rooted in trust.
Tajima said the project would deepen friendship between the two governments and peoples, while Tikoduadua said Fiji valued Japan’s support for its “respect, consistency, and a genuine commitment to partnership.”
