Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi meets Indian Navy top brass in Mumbai
Shinjiro Koizumi visits Western Naval Command ahead of talks with Rajnath Singh on deeper defence cooperation
Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday and met top Indian Navy officials. He is scheduled to travel to New Delhi and meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday.
Koizumi visited the Western Naval Command headquarters in Mumbai, where he held discussions with Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Western Naval Commander Sanjay Vatsayan.
The delegation was briefed on the roles and responsibilities and operational capabilities of the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Japanese minister inspected a guard of honour at the Western Naval Command and also laid a wreath at the memorial at the Naval Dockyard. He also visited the indigenous warship INS Chennai.
On Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will host his Japanese counterpart as the two sides aim to further deepen defence cooperation.
The meeting is expected to further strengthen bilateral defence relations, enhance strategic trust and cooperation, promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region and identify new areas of collaboration.
The two ministers will exchange views on deeper maritime security cooperation and closer defence equipment and technology collaboration under the ‘Make-in-India’ framework, following Japan’s revision of the Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology, the Ministry of Defence said.
A source explained the revision of the ‘Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology’, saying that in April, Japan ended six decades of self-imposed restrictions on selling and sharing military technology, opening up possibilities for India, its long-standing partner, on aero-engines and marine engines.
Japan also holds cutting-edge technology in specialised sea-planes and conventional submarines and has quality ship-building techniques.
India and Japan had in January this year discussed several defence equipment projects. However, progress hinged upon Tokyo easing the export regulatory controls imposed since 1967.
Until now, the transfer of Japan-produced military products was limited to search and rescue, transportation, surveillance and mine countermeasures.
“With this amendment, transfers of all defence equipment will in principle become possible,” Japan had said while announcing the revision of the three principles.
In the past decade, there have been two failed military equipment proposals — one on making conventional submarines and another on a sea-plane. Now, the sea-plane is back in focus.
In January this year, the Ministry of Defence asked international companies to supply four specialised amphibious planes that can land and take off from the sea. The MoD wants to take four amphibious aircraft on lease for a period of four years for the Indian Navy.
Japanese ShinMaywa Industries makes a plane called ‘US-2’, which is in contention for the leasing.
Earlier, in November 2024, India and Japan signed their maiden military co-development and co-production project to make specialised radio communication equipment used by naval warships. The equipment, called the Unified Complex Radio Antenna, or ‘Unicorn’, is a mast-shaped system that integrates all communication functions on a warship. It is currently used by Japanese warships.
Excluding the defence sector, Japanese investment in India runs into billions of dollars in making cars, semiconductors, steel plants and transport projects such as bullet trains, railways and metros, among others.
