India & Japan to deepen defence ties

Tokyo:  India and Japan affirmed yesterday plans to strengthen their military cooperation amid rising tension in the Asian region. Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley told his Japanese counterpart, Tomomi Inada, in Tokyo that his country hopes to pursue a strategic partnership with Japan for regional peace and stability. His visit comes at a time of rising tension in the region, including territorial rows in the South China Sea and nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
Jaitley welcomed a planned trilateral naval exercise among the US, India and Japan in July as a way of strengthening cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.  "This is all reflective of the level of cooperation our armed forces have with each other," he said.
Japan and India have been stepping up defense cooperation amid China's increased assertiveness in the region. China has long been wary of joint maritime exercises between India and the United States. Japan, a staunch US ally that hosts about 50,000 American troops, has in recent years developed military cooperation with other countries.