India and Japan on Monday stressed the need for peace and stability in the strategically important Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and reviewed security situation in the region during bilateral talks here between visiting Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera and his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. The two countries will hold the first ever anti-terrorist joint exercise between the two armies later this year and the two Ministers took stock of preparations made for it.
Onodera also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who welcomed the deepening of the special strategic and global partnership between the two countries and said he was looking forward to visiting Japan later this year. He also said defence cooperation was a key pillar of the relationship between India and Japan.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) said Modi also recalled his long association with Japan, since before assuming office as prime minister. He noted the strengthening of various defence dialogue mechanisms between the two countries, and the enhanced linkages between the armed forces of India and Japan. Modi also appreciated the progress in defence technology cooperation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, during the annual Defence Ministerial Meeting, the two defence ministers noted the fact that Prime Ministers of Japan and India emphasised the significance of defence and security cooperation in enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries in September 2017, and exchanged views and ideas in a constructive and forward-looking manner. The Ministers shared the recognition that it is important for the two countries to further strengthen defence and security cooperation under the ‘Japan-lndia Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ that aligns Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’ with India’s ‘Act East Policy’ to work together in achieving common objectives.
Flagging the issue of situation in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, the two sides recognised that peace and stability of these two regions are crucial for ensuring the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region. The two ministers reviewed the current security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including developments in the Korean Peninsula, a joint statement issued after the meeting said.
The Ministers reaffirmed that they have shared interests in expanding cooperation in the maritime security domain and welcomed the fact that Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) and the Indian Navy are working towards the signing of the Implementing Arrangement for Deeper Cooperation between the JMSDF and the Indian Navy. With the aim of deepening bilateral cooperation in this domain, the ministers also reaffirmed their intention to pursue cooperation in engaging with countries of the Indo-Pacific, including through their capacity building. In an effort to further boost joint training, the two ministers welcomed the progress made in preparing for the first ever anti-terrorist bilateral exercise between the two armies later this year. Onodera commended the fact that Indian Army personnel participated as observers in the Japan-U.S. joint bilateral humanitarian assistance during natural disasters exercise in November 2017 to share lessons learnt from natural disaster experiences.
The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the success of Japan-India-U.S. Trilateral Maritime Exercise MAlABAR 2018 in June 2018 as well as the start of the constructive, trilateral discussion toward the next round of the exercise.
The two sides praised various efforts made in the field of bilateral cooperation in defence equipment and technology during the past year, including the progress made in the bilateral discussion of the 4th Joint Working Group on Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation (JWG-DETC) in Delhi in July 2018 for identifying specific areas of cooperation. The Ministers also noted the effort made by both countries regarding the cooperation on US-2 amphibious aircraft.
The Ministers noted the efforts by relevant authorities of Japan and India in organising the visit of Japanese defence enterprises to Indian defence industries in August 2018 in order to follow up on the first-ever Japan-India Defence Industry Forum in September 2017, and to promote the interaction between public and private sectors, as well as between Japanese and Indian defence industries.