India and Japan are set to discuss ways to deepen maritime security cooperation and expand defence equipment and technology collaboration when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi on Thursday.
The bilateral meeting is expected to focus on strengthening defence ties, enhancing strategic trust and cooperation, and identifying new areas of collaboration amid growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the two ministers will exchange views on expanding maritime security cooperation and closer collaboration in defence equipment and technology under the ‘Make-in-India’ framework. The discussions assume added significance following Japan’s revision of its Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology.
The meeting is also expected to help both sides draw up a roadmap for further advancing bilateral defence and security cooperation.
Koizumi, who is on his maiden visit to India as Japan’s Defence Minister, visited the Western Naval Command in Mumbai on Wednesday. During the visit, 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.
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The Japanese delegation was briefed on the roles, responsibilities and operational capabilities of the Indian Navy.
Koizumi also inspected a Guard of Honour at the Western Naval Command after his arrival and laid a wreath at the Gaurav Stambh at the Naval Dockyard. He subsequently visited the indigenous Indian Navy warship INS Chennai.
India and Japan have maintained close strategic ties and share a vision of a free, open, resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Defence and maritime security have emerged as important pillars of the broader bilateral partnership.
The Japanese minister’s two-day visit comes at a time when both countries are seeking to give greater momentum to their defence and security cooperation. It also follows Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent visit to New Delhi for the annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the summit, India and Japan agreed to further deepen cooperation in defence and security, providing additional momentum to discussions between the two defence ministers.
The latest talks are expected to build on those commitments and explore practical areas of cooperation, particularly in maritime security, defence technology and equipment manufacturing.
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