By IANS,
New Delhi: With China keeping a watchful eye, India and Japan are set to ramp up their bilateral ties as a strategic dialogue gets going in Tokyo and Defence Minister A.K. Antony plans to visit there next week.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is in Tokyo for the fifth round of strategic dialogue with his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba.
They are expected to explore ways to deepen bilateral cooperation across a range of issues ranging from jointly combating piracy and terrorism to climate change and the evolving east Asia architecture.
New Delhi is expected to discuss the prospects of civil nuclear cooperation that took a hit after the Fukushima disaster earlier this year.
The two ministers are also likely to discuss dates for the US-Japan-India trilateral, an initiative that is causing jitters in Beijing.
Close on the heels of Krishna’s visit, Antony goes on a day-long visit to Tokyo Nov 2.
He will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Yasho Ichikawa on a wide range of issues, including regional and global security scenario, maritime security, piracy in the Gulf of Aden and co-operation in the filed of humanitarian assistance and terrorism.
“Both sides will also discuss co-operation between the Armed Forces of both countries in the fields of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, training and co-operation in UN peacekeeping operations and other bilateral exchanges,” the defence ministry said here Friday.
Co-operation through regional/multilateral for a like the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) will also be discussed.
Antony will be accompanied by Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma, Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral R.K. Dhowan and GoC-in-C, Central Command, Lt Gen V.K. Ahluwalia.
The two ministerial trips will set the stage for the visit of Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to India in December.