India and Japan plan more military drills to strengthen ties

On Thursday, India and Japan said that they would deepen defence cooperation, with New Delhi inviting investments by Japanese industries, and both countries planning a joint military drill involving their air force fighters.

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart Yasukazu Hamada, and both will join their respective foreign ministers later in the day for "two-plus-two" talks.

"He invited Japanese industries to invest in India's defence corridors," India's defence ministry said in a statement, referring to Singh.

"The two ministers agreed that the early conduct of the inaugural fighter exercise will pave the way for much greater cooperation and inter-operability between the air forces of the two countries," it added.

India, like Japan, is bolstering its military to tackle what it sees as increased security threats, including from neighbouring China.

In Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has promised a "substantial" defence spending increase. His ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) wants to double Japan's military budget to 2 per cent of its gross domestic product over the next five years, amidst worries that the Russia-Ukraine conflicts could embolden China to act against neighbouring Taiwan.

Delhi, which commissioned its first home-built aircraft carrier last week, is expanding its security ties with Tokyo, as both Asian nations grow wary of China's growing military might in the region.

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