India, Japan to conduct first ever naval exercise

New Delhi, June 5 (ANI): The Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force will conduct their first ever bilateral exercise during the visit of four Indian Navy ships to Japan from June 5 to 9 as part of the scheduled Overseas Fleet Deployment.

The exercise will be conducted off the coast of Japan on 09-10 June, 2012.

The conduct of the bilateral naval exercises between both countries was decided during the visit of Defence Minister A.K. Antony to Japan in November 2011.

Both navies will also conduct routine passage exercises (PASSEX) during the visit of Japanese ships to Indian ports this year.

The engagement between the navies of India and Japan is part of the overall defence cooperation between both countries.

Defence exchanges between India and Japan presently comprise annual defence minister level meetings, defence policy dialogue at defence secretary level and army and naval staff talks. (ANI)