India & Japan to enhance military exercises to counter China’s aggression in Indo-Pacific
Singh and Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada agreed that the early conduct of the inaugural fighter exercise will pave way for much greater cooperation
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a four-day official visit to Japan, agreed to enhance military exercises and defence cooperation with Tokyo, amid growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The crucial step has been announced in order to ensure a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific. The two Ministers– Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada– agreed that the early conduct of the inaugural fighter exercise will pave way for much greater cooperation and interoperability between the Air Forces of the two countries.
“Reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation and regional affairs during the bilateral meeting with Japan’s Minister of Defence, Mr Yasukazu Hamada in Tokyo today. This year marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries,” Singh tweeted.
The Ministers expressed their commitment to continuing bilateral and multilateral exercises including ‘Dharma Guardian’, ‘JIMEX’ and ‘Malabar’. They welcomed the operationalisation of the Reciprocal Provision of Supply and Services Agreement during Exercise ‘MILAN’ in March this year. He emphasised the need to expand the scope of partnership in the field of Defence Equipment and Technological Cooperation. He invited Japanese industries to invest in India’s defence corridors where a conducive environment for the growth of the defence industry has been created by the Government of India.
Rajnath Singh and EAM Jaishanakr attend India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue
Before the meeting, Singh paid tribute to Japan’s Self Defence Forces (SDF) personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Singh, while addressing the 2nd India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue along with EAM S Jaishankar, highlighted the 70 years of diplomatic relations between both nations and said New Delhi is honoured to hold an event to commemorate the milestone. Notably, he was talking about the upcoming event where soldiers of both countries are scheduled to meet in December in India’s national capital. He said India and Japan have had a long history of cultural and civilisational ties and added the two thriving democracies are now seeking to boost their special and strategic partnerships.
