Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will go on his maiden foreign visit to Japan as part of India’s effort to step up its defence diplomacy.
Parrikar will undertake a two-day trip starting from 30 March to 1 April. His visit will be the first foreign visit by an Indian Defence Minister since November 2013. The last visit was undertaken by then Defence Minister A K Antony in November 2013, when he visited Russia.
On Parrikar’s agenda will be increasing defence cooperation and pushing the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Japan has offered to bypass its strict military export controls to supply 12 amphibious US2 Shinmaywa aircraft to the Indian Navy. A joint working group set up during Modi’s visit to Japan has met twice. The Indian government has yet to make a decision on purchasing the US2 Shinmaywa. India is also interested in getting access to the technology of Japan’s “Soryu” class of boats. Meanwhile, India has encouraged Japan to participate in its P75i programme to make six diesel-electric submarines.
India-Japan bilateral trade stands at $16.31 billion(2013-14).