New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): India and Japan on Thursday agreed to convene the fourth India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo by the top of the 12 months, as the 2 nations dedicated to increasing defence cooperation throughout design, manufacturing, navy workout routines, maritime safety and defence expertise throughout Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s official go to to India.
Addressing a particular briefing following the summit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Takaichi held in depth discussions on strengthening defence ties.
‘First of all, what I’d say is that we clearly welcome the evolution of Japanese postures insofar as defence exports are involved. There has been a substantial and, from our perspective, optimistic evolution on this concern,’ Misri mentioned.
He mentioned the 2 leaders agreed to broaden defence cooperation. ‘There was dialogue between the 2 leaders on defence-related points as properly, and there was settlement that we may have a look at cooperation in a number of areas. In reality, Prime Minister Modi steered that this cooperation may span your entire spectrum from designing to manufacturing and manufacturing,’ he mentioned.
Highlighting ongoing initiatives, Misri pointed to progress on the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) programme.
‘You would have seen the leaders marking the progress on the most important venture that’s underway proper now between the 2 nations, which is the UNICORN venture, which is a naval radio antenna-related venture,’ he mentioned.
He added that either side additionally mentioned cooperation throughout land, air and naval methods, together with unmanned platforms, whereas noting the rising tempo of bilateral navy workout routines.
‘We have, in fact, performed naval workout routines for a protracted time period, however more and more now, and in some circumstances for the primary time ever, there are land workout routines, military workout routines and air drive workout routines as properly which can be being performed,’ Misri mentioned.
Misri mentioned Prime Minister Takaichi careworn the significance of strengthening institutional mechanisms for defence cooperation.
‘Prime Minister Takaichi made particular point out of the necessity to bolster institutional cooperation on this space, and in that context, the two+2 mechanism, which brings the Foreign and Defence Ministers of the 2 nations collectively on the identical platform, was referenced by her. We stay up for the subsequent assembly of that platform in Tokyo at a mutually handy date. This is clearly a rising space of cooperation between the 2 nations,’ he mentioned.
On reviews relating to the attainable development of Mogami-class frigates in India, Misri clarified that the problem was not mentioned through the summit. ‘Today, simply to be particular in response to your query, there was no dialogue on the Mogami-class frigates as such,’ he mentioned.
He added that discussions on shipbuilding cooperation with Japan proceed.
According to the sixteenth India-Japan Annual Summit Joint Statement, the 2 Prime Ministers directed their Ministers to carry the fourth India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo by the top of this 12 months.
The joint assertion additionally welcomed the profitable conduct of JAIMEX 25, Japan’s participation within the International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam, and agreed to deepen maritime safety cooperation by enhanced workout routines, maritime area consciousness, naval upkeep, restore and overhaul (MRO), and defence tools and expertise cooperation beneath the Make in India framework.
The two leaders additional expressed satisfaction that an settlement in precept had been reached on the remaining technical particulars of the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) venture and agreed to discover extra joint initiatives in defence tools and expertise. (ANI)