The Defence Minister of Japan, Itsunori Onodera will visit India on October 8. During this visit, he is expected to meet his Indian counterpart, A. K. Antony, and review bilateral defence ties.
Both sides are expected to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in maritime security issues, among others. Onodera will also be seeking confirmation from India on cooperation to deal with the issue of piracy in the Indian Ocean. Also on the Japanese Defence Minister’s agenda are efforts to advance diplomatic talks to export Japanese US-2 amphibian aircraft to India. This comes at a time when India is looking to buy sea rescue aircraft from countries such as Russia and Canada.
Following his meeting with Antony, he will proceed to visit an Indian Navy facility.
A working group – to study the potential export of these aircraft – was agreed to be established earlier this year, during a bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The two leaders had also decided to conduct joint drills of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy on a regular basis.
Since diplomatic relations between India and Japan were established in 1952, the two countries have enjoyed cordial relations.