The navies of India and Japan have carried out manoeuvres in the central Arabian Sea, in an initiative to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries.

The Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force's (JMSDF) ships, JS Kashima and JS Shimakaze, and the Indian Navy's INS Aditya demonstrated a high level of interoperability , the navies of both the countries said. The naval exercise is aimed at strengthening defence cooperation between the two nations to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

According to Indian Navy officials, , the Japenese training ships carried out refuelling with the INS Aditya in the Western Indian Ocean Region.

Before that, the overseas training cruise of the JS Kashima and the JS Shimakaze called on the port of Colombo. They also conducted a goodwill exercise with the Si Lankan Navy, which was meant to check China’s attempts to dominate in the region, tweeted the JMSD.

The engagement between the two navies has been growing over the years, with top brass from both sides visiting each other, besides carrying out bilateral exercises for capability enhancement and collaborative efforts. The two countries will also participate in a two-plus-two dialogue in Tokyo.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has agreed to provide aid of approximately $ 133 million for a green power supply project in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which experts believe could be for strategic reasons. “The development of the islands’ infrastructure will facilitate the participation of navies in Malabar, not just Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force,” Leszek Buszynski, an honorary professor of strategic and defense studies at the Australian National University, told The Japan Times.

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