By Our Special Correspondent
India and Japan on Thursday agreed to step up bilateral defence cooperation and engage in more military exercises, including holding the first joint fighter jet drills, as they emphasized that their special strategic ties played a crucial role in ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific, amidst China’s aggressive behavior in the region.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Japanese counterpart Yasukazu Hamada here on the first day of his official visit to Japan and the two leaders reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation and regional affairs.
During the 90-minute-long meeting, the two ministers also agreed to hold military drills aimed at boosting co-ordination between the air forces of the two nations.
“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.
Noting that India and Japan pursue a Special Strategic and Global Partnership, Singh said India’s defence partnership with Japan will play a crucial role in ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo Pacific region.
They also exchanged views on the regional situation including the situation in Ukraine and 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, the Japanese statement said.
They 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, it added.
This year marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
In Tokyo, Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will join their Japanese counterparts at the ‘2+2’ foreign and defence ministerial dialogue later in the day. The 2+2 Dialogue will review bilateral cooperation across domains and chart out the way forward.
The ‘2+2’ Dialogue is taking place more than five months after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited India for the annual India-Japan summit. PTI
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