New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi on August 20, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening defence ties, maritime security and defence technology cooperation.
The meeting is aimed at enhancing strategic trust, promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific and identifying new areas of collaboration between India and Japan.
The two ministers are expected to discuss closer maritime security cooperation and greater collaboration in defence equipment and technology under the Make-in-India framework.
The talks come after Japan revised its Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology, providing an opportunity for both sides to work on a roadmap for expanding defence and security cooperation.
Koizumi is on his maiden visit to India. On August 19, he visited the Western Naval Command in Mumbai, where he held discussions with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan.
He was briefed on the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities and inspected a Guard of Honour. Koizumi also laid a wreath at the Gaurav Stambh at the Naval Dockyard and visited indigenous warship INS Chennai.
India and Japan share a vision of a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific. The visit comes weeks after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Delhi for the Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where both sides agreed to further deepen defence and security cooperation.
