New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Academy training ship Itsukushima arrived in Chennai on a six-day goodwill visit that aims at further consolidating the deep-rooted maritime cooperation and friendship between both countries.

As it made the port call, the Japanese ship – currently on a three-month deep sea training voyage with new JCG officer candidates – was given a warm ceremonial welcome by the NCC cadets and the Indian Army Band, marking the spirit of Indo-Japan maritime friendship.

Strengthening regional ties through training and cultural exchange during its global maritime voyage, the ship – carrying 53 cadets onboard – will be in Chennai till July 12.

“The visit includes joint training exercises, cultural exchanges, and high-level interactions with ICG, reaffirming the deep rooted maritime cooperation and friendship between India and Japan. Four ICG officers will embark onboard Istukushima for onward passage to Singapore, continuing spirit of professional exchanges and operational understanding. This engagement underscores the shared commitment to regional security and harmony under the vision SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region),” the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) posted on X on Monday.

In May, San Francisco was the very first stop on Itsukushima maiden voyage as the successor to Kojima, which retired last year after three decades of service.

Last month, during their meeting in Canada’s Kananaskis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba vowed to further strengthen bilateral ties across various sectors.

During his meeting with Japanese Minister of Defence General Nakatani held on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) forum in November 2024, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had hailed the increasing cooperation and collaboration between the two countries while recalling the “milestone event” of signing of the Memorandum of Implementation for transfer of the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) in Tokyo on November 15.

The UNICORN is a mast with Integrated Communication systems which will help improve the stealth characteristics of Naval Platforms. The Indian Navy is pursuing the induction of these advanced systems which will be co-developed by Bharat Electronics Limited in India with Japanese collaboration.

When implemented, this would be the first case of co-development/co-production of Defence Equipment between India and Japan.

In their meeting, both defence ministers reiterated the importance of defence industry and technology cooperation between the two countries while agreeing on enhanced cooperation in co-production and co-development in the defence manufacturing sector.

“The two ministers affirmed the importance of multilateral defence cooperation and exchanges in the security environment which is growing its severeness, and concurred on working together widely with countries which share fundamental values such as democracy and the rule of law,” read a statement issued by the Japanese Defence Ministry after the meeting.

“The two ministers concurred on developing defence cooperation and exchanges to continue deepening further bilateral relationship, and sending messages that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion cannot be tolerated,” it added.

According to the Indian Defence Ministry, both ministers also discussed the Reciprocal Provision of Supply and Services Agreement between the two countries and participation of militaries in various bilateral and multilateral exercises to further improve interoperability between the Indian and Japanese forces.

As they reaffirmed that India-Japan partnership is pivotal in fostering a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, both ministers also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation in the air domain.

–IANS

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