India-Japan maritime power surge, China under strategic pressure

Amid China's growing military activity, India and Japan have decided to further strengthen defense and security cooperation.

The two countries have agreed to increase cooperation in several areas, including maritime security, joint naval exercises, defense equipment production and research on artificial intelligence (AI).

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday. The meeting brought up important issues related to deepening bilateral defense and security ties.

The joint statement released after the meeting said that the 'special strategic and global partnership' between India and Japan is one of the foundations of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. As a result, military cooperation between the two countries is not limited to bilateral relations; it is also related to the issue of larger regional security.

The two countries have given special importance to increasing naval cooperation. Under this, cooperation will be increased in the inspection of each other's warships, joint military exercises and maintenance and repair of ships. The two countries will also work together to detect and remove landmines at sea.

There was also discussion on increasing cooperation in shipbuilding. In this regard, there are plans to utilize Japan's advanced technology and India's large manufacturing capacity.

In addition, there was discussion on increasing cooperation between the Special Operations Forces of the two countries and undertaking new projects on defense equipment and technology.

India and Japan have also agreed to increase cooperation in artificial intelligence-based defense research. There was discussion on continuing military cooperation between the two countries even after the launch of India's Integrated Theater Command system.

The issue of Pakistan also gained importance in the meeting. Hindustan Times, citing sources, reported that India has warned Japan about the potential risk of handing over modern defense technology to Pakistan.

New Delhi fears that sophisticated technology can reach other countries through Pakistan.

At this time, India also highlighted Pakistan's past role in spreading nuclear technology to Japan. The issue of nuclear technology-related communication with North Korea through Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan came up for discussion.

Sources claim that India raised this issue to illustrate the risk of over-reliance on Pakistan. Japan has also assured that it will consider the matter seriously.

Meanwhile, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There, they discussed deepening the "special strategic and global partnership" between the two countries. Modi also recalled the 16th India-Japan annual summit held in July.

Later, in a post on social media, Modi said that there were "very good" discussions on further strengthening the defense and security ties between India and Japan. According to him, the India-Japan partnership is important for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

According to analysts, this closeness between India and Japan in various fields, from maritime security to cutting-edge defense technology, can add a new dimension to the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region. Especially in the context of China's increasing military activity, defense cooperation between the two countries is also being considered an important strategic message for Beijing.