Tokyo, July 16: Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attended a reception at the residence of India's Ambassador to Japan, Nagma Mallick, on Thursday, with both sides pledging to strengthen defence ties between the two nations.
"Attended a reception at the Indian Ambassador's Residence tonight. Pledged with Ambassador Naqma Mohammadi Malik to strengthen Japan-India defence ties," Koizumi posted on X later.
The development comes as Koizumi plans to visit India in August to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh. This will be Koizumi's first visit to India after assuming office in October last year, local media reported on Thursday.
Defence Cooperation On Agenda
The two ministers are expected to discuss cooperation on defence equipment, including the export of the Unicorn communication antenna system from Japan to India, Jiji Press reported, citing information received from officials of the Japanese Defence Ministry.
Koizumi and Singh are expected to discuss expanding joint exercises between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Indian military. In addition, the two leaders are likely to discuss the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including activities by China, the report detailed.
On July 13, India and Japan held the 8th Defence Policy Dialogue in Tokyo and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in emerging domains, including defence industrial collaboration, technological innovation, cyber security, space and other areas of shared strategic interest.
The two sides also expressed satisfaction with the growing convergence between India and Japan on regional and global security issues and agreed to continue working closely in the Indo-Pacific, the Ministry of Defence stated.
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The two countries reiterated their commitment to promoting a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region founded on respect for international law.
For the meeting, the Indian delegation was led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the Japanese delegation was led by Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Kano Koji.
Both sides discussed the prevailing regional and global security environment and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
"The dialogue reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral defence engagements, including military-to-military exchanges, co-operation between joint headquarters, maritime cooperation, defence exercises, capacity building, defence equipment and technology cooperation including maritime technology, and enhanced institutional interactions," the Ministry of Defence stated.
Upcoming Ministerial Talks
The two nations welcomed the steady expansion of defence cooperation and stressed the importance of maintaining regular high-level exchanges and dialogue mechanisms.
They discussed probable outcomes for the forthcoming Ministerial visits, including 2+2, scheduled to be held later this year.
During his visit, Rajesh Kumar Singh met Japanese Minister of Defence Shinjiro Koizumi and conveyed greetings of Defence Minister Singh. The two sides reaffirmed the growing momentum of India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
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