The Seventh India-Japan defence policy dialogue was held in New Delhi on April 5, 2023. It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Japan’s Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Oka Asami. A wide range of issues including service-level exercises and engagements, regional security issues and cooperation in defence equipment and technology were discussed during the meeting.
Oka Asami also provided policy updates from Japan’s just-released National Security Strategy and National Defence Strategy. The growing cooperation between their agencies thanks to staff meetings and training exercises was appreciated by both countries. They applauded the Indian and Japanese self-defence forces’ conduct of the inaugural fighter drill “Veer Guardian” in Japan in January 2023.
About the Dialogue
The defence minister emphasised that both nations should work to strengthen their defence industry partnerships. He also gave an invitation to the Japanese defence industries to look at the investment opportunities in India under the ‘Make In India initiative’. Both parties concurred to broaden their areas of cooperation in the cyber, defence, and new and emerging space sectors.
Both India and Japan have reiterated their comments towards a strong defence partnership and agreed to find opportunities to further enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. The next defence policy dialogue will take place at mutually suitable times, as both parties agreed. A formalised process for discussing bilateral collaboration and communication between Japan and India is the defence policy dialogue. The “Veer Guardian” exercise took place between the countries in Japan and ended on 26th January 2023.
In numerous simulated operational scenarios, the drill required both the air forces to execute complicated and comprehensive aerial manoeuvres with meticulous planning and skill. Both air forces provided meticulous planning and deft execution for the drill. In both visual and beyond visual range situations, the IAF and JASDF participated in air combat, intercept, and defence operations.
India and Japan concurred that the next Defence Policy Dialogue should take place on equally agreeable dates. A formalised process for discussing bilateral military cooperation between Japan and India is the military Policy Dialogue. This enhances the ability to counter common enemy threats like China which is a major threat to both nations and counter the dragon in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region.
