Exclusive - Japan seeks South East Asia clout with chopper parts for Philippines military: sources

FILE PHOTO: A Philippine Air Force attack helicopter flies past a Philippine flag, after a bombing run at the Maute group positions in Marawi City, Philippines May 28, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's army will give thousands of helicopter parts to keep Philippine military choppers airborne, helping Tokyo gain clout with Manila in a contest with China to secure influence over the strategic South China Sea nation, four sources said.

Military diplomacy is a new means for Japan to confound China's bid for control in the bitterly contested South China Sea as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks a regional military role amid a retreat from decades of state pacifism.