Defence Secretary invites Japanese industries to look at investment opportunities in India under ‘Make in India’ in policy dialogue with Japan.
The 7th India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue, co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Vice Minister of Defense for International Affairs Oka Masami, took place in New Delhi today.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), a wide range of issues, including Service-level exercises and engagements, regional security issues and cooperation in defence equipment & technology, were discussed during the meeting.
The Japanese Vice Minister also highlighted policy updates from their recently released National Security Strategy and National Defence Strategy.
Indo-Japan defence cooperation in Indo-Pacific
Recently, Japanese prime minister Kishida Fumio while delivering a policy speech in New Delhi entitled “The Future of the Indo-Pacific—Japan’s New Plan for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ called out India as an Indispensable Partner announcing Japan’s new plan for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
Japan lies at the forefront of a dynamic security landscape in the Indo-Pacific. Against the backdrop of China’s military capability, it is critical to enhancing Japan’s deterrent— both independently and collectively—against China, in particular its use of force against disputed territories in the Indo-Pacific.
Last year, Kishida laid out a radical strategy for building the country’s military capabilities. He announced the biggest-ever military budget across all three divisions of the Japan Self-Defence Forces (JSDF).
Kishida put forth his security roadmap that Japan will spend $318 billion on the military over the next five years. Breaking from its historic stance, Japan has embarked on a capability-building roadmap as the country seeks to build up its defence strategy, including the use of pre-emptive strikes.
Both countries have growing cooperation between the Services through Staff talks and exercises. During the dialogue, India and Japan also decided to strengthen the conduct of the inaugural fighter exercise ‘Veer Guardian’ between the Indian Air Force and the Japanese Air Self-Defence Force.
The Defence Secretary Aramane emphasised that both countries should aim to deepen collaboration between the respective defence industries.
He also invited Japanese defence industries to look at investment opportunities in India under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Both sides agreed to diversify cooperation in new and emerging domains like defence space and cyber.
As per the reports, both sides also agreed to hold the next Defence Policy Dialogue at mutually convenient dates.
The Defence Policy Dialogue is an institutionalized mechanism between India and Japan to discuss bilateral defence cooperation. In the second India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in Tokyo, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese counterpart Yasukazu Hamada agreed to step up bilateral defence cooperation and engage in more military exercises, including holding the first joint fighter jet drills. The fighter exercise will lead to greater cooperation and interoperability between the air forces of the two countries.