Japan-Philippines partnership deepens with police equipment grant

Maria T. Reyes

Japan enhanced its strategic partnership with the Philippines in late November 2024 with an equipment grant to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for countering drug and human trafficking in the Indo-Pacific.

The grant “cements our shared commitment and deeper understanding about our role as peacekeepers and agents of truth and justice,” according to PNP Forensic Group Director Brig. Gen. Benjamin Sembrano.

A “growing concern about the impact of the security and crime situation in Southeast Asia on Japan,” including the role of international organized crime groups in telephone fraud cases, prompted the initiative, according to the Japanese Embassy in Manila.

The donation includes 3D laser scanning and mapping equipment for forensic investigation and was procured through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Philippine News Agency reported.

Japan has played a key role in building capacity for the Philippine military and Coast Guard, and for more than two decades has supported peacebuilding efforts in the country amid insurgencies, notably in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

In July 2024, the two countries signed a historic Reciprocal Access Agreement, deepening security cooperation.

Japan’s support to boost the Philippines’ law enforcement capabilities includes training in police management, firearms control, automated fingerprint identification and crime scene investigation. Tokyo previously donated 100 patrol vehicles to strengthen public safety and counterterrorism efforts.

The Japan Coast Guard and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have shared information related to drug trafficking since 2006. In September 2024, the agencies agreed to enhance cooperation in combating drug-related challenges.

The latest collaboration strengthens responses to threats such as illegal drugs, international organized crime and violent extremism, according to the Japanese Embassy.

“We will enhance our ability to gather crucial evidence to reconstruct events and bring perpetrators to justice,” Sembrano said.

Modern forensic approaches are necessary “to meet the challenges of increasingly complex security threats,” according to Daniele Marchesi, country manager of the UNODC program office in the Philippines.

The 3D scanner can “capture critical evidence and reconstruct events virtually,” and includes capabilities for analyzing bullet trajectories, bloodstain patterns and other evidence that can be revisited digitally long after the physical scene is released, he said.

“It enables more efficient and detailed investigations, reducing reliance on traditional methods, while ensuring that evidence collected stands up to scrutiny in both national and international courts,” he added.