Tokyo/New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who met his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Thursday, said that he will devote all his efforts to turning discussions into concrete outcomes.

“When the meeting concluded, Minister of Defence Singh put his arm around me and expressed his delight, saying, 'It was a very fruitful meeting.' We were able to make a new start in accelerating Japan-India defence cooperation. Moving forward, I will devote all my efforts to turning today's discussions into concrete outcomes in order to further strengthen our personal trust relationship. Minister of Defence Singh, thank you very much,” noted Koizumi.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the two sides stressed the importance of sharing assessments of the regional and international security environment amid heightened global tensions.

They also expressed their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that impede freedom and safety of navigation and overflight, as well as to any attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

Recalling the Japan-India Joint Statement issued in July 2026, both Singh and Koizumi affirmed their commitment, under their leadership, to further deepen defence cooperation to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The two ministers agreed to deepen operational cooperation in the field of maritime security in a practical and effective manner. They accordingly affirmed their commitment to strengthening Maritime Security Cooperation and signed the Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation.

“The Memorandum provides a framework for further advancing cooperation between the two countries in the field of maritime security. Specifically, it includes the strengthening of cooperation between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy, including information sharing in the field of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), as well as enhanced cooperation in areas such as Search and Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR),” read the Joint Statement.

–IANS

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