Rajnath Singh meets Japanese counterpart; India-Japan to conduct inaugural "fighter exercise" between both Air Forces
Both the Ministers 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.
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Tokyo, Sept 8: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart, Yasukazu Hamada, in Tokyo on Thursday. Both the ministers reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation as well as regional affairs. They acknowledged the importance of the India-Japan defence partnership and the critical role it will play in ensuring free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.
During the delegation-level talks, Singh highlighted that the growing complexities in the India-Japan bilateral defence exercises are a testimony to the deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries.
Specific points:
- 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.
- The two Ministers 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.
Singh 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.
It is pertinent to mention that this year marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. As two robust democracies, the two countries are pursuing a Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
Though Indian Defence Ministry did not stated in its press release, the Japanese Defence Ministry stated, "The Ministers exchanged views on the regional situation including the situation in Ukraine. They highlighted their commitment to working in tandem towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous world, based on a rule-based order that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, and emphasized the need for all countries to seek peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law without resorting to threat or use of force or any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo."
Earlier, on Wednesday, Rajnath Singh began his day’s engagements by laying a wreath at a Memorial, dedicated to the personnel of Japan Self Defense Forces who laid down their lives in the line of duty, at Ministry of Defense, Japan. He was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour before the bilateral meeting with the Japanese Defense Minister.
Later in the day, Singh, along with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, will participate in the 2nd India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The Japanese side will be represented by Yasukazu Hamada and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi. The 2+2 Dialogue will review bilateral cooperation across domains and chart out the way forward.
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