India, Japan strengthen strategic relations
India and Japan will upgrade their defence and strategic ties through a Defence Action Plan (DAP) that will be presented to the prime ministers of both countries when Yukio Hatoyama meets his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, on December 30, said a senior Indian Foreign Ministry official. The Japanese prime minister is visiting India from December 27-30.
The DAP will set up a framework to increase defence and strategic cooperation. One principal area will be maritime cooperation, the official added. Maritime security dialogue between defence authorities of India and Japan already has been taking place for "some time," said an official of the Indian Defence Ministry.
Indo-Japanese strategic ties are part of an effort to counter the growing influence of China in the area, said Mahindra Singh, retired Indian Army major general and defence analyst based here. The heavy dependence of Japan and India on oil imports from the Persian Gulf is another major driver behind the growing Indo-Japanese relationship, Singh said.
In November, Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony accompanied a high-level delegation to Tokyo that included Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar; V.K. Saraswat, scientific adviser to the defence minister; and Vice Adm. D.K. Dewan, the vice chief of the Naval Staff.
Source: www.defensenews.com
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