India, Japan agree to enhance defense, maritime cooperation

NEW DELHI

India and Japan on Monday decided to enhance the defense industry as well as maritime cooperation, according to an official statement released in New Delhi.

This comes as Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh hosted his Japanese counterpart, Gen. Nakatani, for talks in the capital New Delhi.

The sides “agreed to enhance industry cooperation, including exploring collaboration in niche domains such as automation and artificial intelligence,” said the Indian Defense Ministry statement.

It said the two ministers also decided to take forward the cooperation in emerging areas like cyber and space.

The two sides, it added, agreed to “add new dimensions to the robust maritime cooperation” between India and Japan, which are also part of Quad, a loose security alliance led by the US that also includes Australia.

Officials said the ministers also reviewed the defense and security pillars of the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership.

According to Tokyo-based Kyodo News, the two sides agreed to begin discussions toward establishing a senior officer-level dialogue body for "coordinating the overall collaborative work between their forces.”

Nakatani’s trip to New Delhi comes after reports had emerged that Tokyo approached India to join its trilateral Global Combat Air Program, which also includes the UK and Italy, to develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035.

Japan and India are members of the Quad grouping of Indo-Pacific democracies that also includes the United States and Australia. The framework is widely seen as a counterweight to China.

The Japanese defense minister is on a four-day trip to South Asia, which included his first stop in Sri Lanka, where he met with Sri Lankan Deputy Defense Minister Aruna Jayasekara.

At their meeting in the capital, Colombo, on Sunday, they agreed that Japan will reinforce defense cooperation with Sri Lanka.