India, Japan Set to Discuss Cooperation in High-Tech Military Items During Ministerial Meet

New Delhi has expanded its defense cooperation with Japan, which had already invested heavily in India's infrastructure sector, as the influence of their arch-rival China grows in the Asia-Pacific. India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that India should look beyond the Indian Ocean when discussing maritime interests.

India and Japan will explore new ways to strengthen the "special strategic and global partnership" during high-level ministerial meetings in Tokyo, India's Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh and foreign affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar are to pay Tokyo a three-day visit from Wednesday.

As well as the second India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Meeting, the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries will hold a Defense Ministerial Meeting and Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue.

"The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is based on shared values of democracy, freedom, and respect for the rule of law," the statement issued by New Delhi on Tuesday said.

Before the high-level meetings, the Indian defense ministry said that a lot of potential exists for co-production and co-development in areas such as manufacturing small arms, rockets, mortars, military and specialist vehicles.

"Defense industries from both sides may forge partnerships for co-development and co-production, and explore the domestic and export markets together," Anurag Bajpai, joint secretary in the Ministry of Defense, said.

The two countries could sign joint production agreements for UAVs, anti-drone systems, and underwater communication.

Satoshi Suzuki, the Japanese Ambassador to India, said last week that Japan is ready to help India to develop a domestic fifth-generation stealth fighter and future-generation naval vessels and submarines.

India and its Quad partner Japan have furthered their defense ties as China's maritime activities in and around the Indian Ocean grow. The Indian navy has still dominates the Indian Ocean region.