Later on Thursday, Rajnath Singh, along with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, will participate in the 2nd India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with the Minister of Defense of Japan, Yasukazu Hamada, in Tokyo on Thursday. The two ministers reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation as well as regional affairs.
The leaders acknowledged the importance of India-Japan defence partnership and the critical role it will play in ensuring free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, said officials.
In a statement, the ministry of defence said, “During the delegation-level talks, Rajnath Singh highlighted that the growing complexities in the India-Japan bilateral defence exercises is a testimony to the deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries.”
It added, “The ministers expressed their commitment in 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 is believed to have emphasised on 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,” the statement read.
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’.
“After reaching Tokyo on the night of September 07, 2022, 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 the Japanese Ministry of Defense. He was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour before the bilateral meeting with the Japanese Defense Minister,” the ministry said.
Later on Thursday, 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 Minister of Defense Mr 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.
