INDIA AND JAPAN HOLD 2+2 TALKS

[Major Shaitan Singh]

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar & Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani discussed defence and security issues reached an agreement on exchange of information on marine traffic in the South China Sea and beyond

by Sridhar Kumaraswami

In a major development ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China next month and in the wake of defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s recent visit to Japan, India and Japan on Monday held their “2+2” talks in New Delhi comprising the foreign and defence secretaries of the two sides to discuss strategic ties between the two nations. India had held “2+2” talks with Japan earlier in 2010 and 2012. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) was extremely tight-lipped about the talks but sources confirmed these had taken place in the capital on Monday.

The talks took place even as the United States is pushing for making the “Malabar” Naval exercise with India a trilateral one involving Japan as the third permanent participant, while the Malabar exercise is currently only a bilateral one involving the Indian and US Navies. Japan is an important ally of the United States.

This the first time the talks were held during the tenure of the current Modi government, in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s successful visit to Japan last year. India and Japan have been discussing several important aspects in their strategic ties including possible joint production of the Japanese amphibious aircraft US-2, moving towards finalising a civil nuclear deal, strengthening maritime security cooperation and considering possible projects with Japanese support in north-eastern India.

Japan’s ties with China are marked by frequent tensions on account of maritime disputes between the two countries, even as India too has a border dispute with China and is apprehensive of its giant neighbour’s growing military might. In January external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had held talks with her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

More recently, during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to Japan just last week, the two countries had “reviewed strategic developments relating to international security situation with emphasis on the inter-connected Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions” and “were of the view that in the inter-connected Indo-Pacific region, India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership has a key role in maintaining peace and stability in the region”. But more significantly, Mr. Parrikar was given a detailed briefing by the Japanese “on Japan’s recent efforts related to Japan’s security policy”. India and Japan had also “welcomed the progress made in bilateral defence exchanges following the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation and Exchanges in the Field of Defence during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan in September, 2014”. The two sides had “also appreciated the on-going maritime cooperation as exemplified by the bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercises and participation of Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force in India-US Joint Naval Exercises “Malabar 14” in July, 2014, which was held off the coast of Japan”.