The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF; Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Atsushi Sunami) concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Defence of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on June 11, 2026, in Colombo, concerning SPF’s project for “Security Dialogues and Defense Exchanges between Japan and Asian Countries.”
The MoU was exchanged by Mr. Nobukatsu Kanehara, Executive Director of SPF, and Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka, in the presence of Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka; Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources; Hon. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs; H.E. ISOMATA Akio, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka; and Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair of SPF.
The MoU provides a framework for launching a Sri Lanka–Japan defense exchange program under SPF’s Track 1.5 initiative, “Security Dialogues and Defense Exchanges between Japan and Asian Countries,” which SPF has implemented since 2014. SPF will coordinate alternating delegation visits between Sri Lanka and Japan, bringing together active-duty mid-tier officers and civilian defense officials from their respective defense ministries, armed forces, and related defense institutions. By combining official exchanges with visits to defense facilities, education and training institutions, and cultural and historical sites, the program aims to foster a community of future defense leaders in both countries with a deeper understanding of one another.
SPF will continue to contribute to deepening mutual understanding among future leaders in the defense sectors of Japan and Sri Lanka, while further strengthening the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
