India-Japan to give momentum to defence & investment ties
defence partnership, including in the area of defence equipment while agreeing for wider participation of Japanese SMEs in India’s growth story.
The two sides also reviewed their defence and economic partnership at the foreign minister-level strategic dialogue held in Tokyo.
“We have made good progress in our defence and security relations, which we both welcomed. Today, just as we are meeting here in Tokyo, the Indian Army is conducting a joint exercise with the Japanese Self Defence Force, in Rajasthan. The three branches of our military and Coast Guard are productively engaged with their Japanese counterparts, with greater ease through the newly operationalised reciprocal partnership arrangement. There have been exchanges about cooperation possibilities in the areas of jointness, and new domains like cyber and space. We also took stock of the progress in our defence equipment and technology cooperation framework,” Jaishankar said in his remarks to the press following the meeting.
“In economic cooperation, we see a lot of potential for a quantum jump of Japanese investment into India, especially from SMEs, as we enter a decade of take-off growth. We are seeking to realise our shared target of 5 trillion Yen in terms of overall investment. India remains committed to the continuous improvement in our infrastructure environment,” he added.
India also hailed Japan’s role in development in NE regions. “We also concurred on the need to work together to enhance each other’s economic security and supply chain
