Rajnath Singh discusses bilateral security cooperation with Japan’s Defence Minister

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Friday, had a telephonic discussion with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on their commitment to take forward the initiatives of bilateral security cooperation under the framework of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The two Defence Ministers had discussions on their respective responses against the COVID-19 pandemic. Rajnath Singh informed Kono Taro on India’s contribution to international efforts against COVID-19 and discussed areas of mutual cooperation in the global fight against the pandemic. On November 30, 2019, the first India-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting was held in New Delhi, where the two sides announced a move to conduct their first-ever joint exercise using fighter jets. The exercise will be in Japan, the two countries agreed to start coordination for the conduct of the exercise, which holds multiple strategic signals for the Indo-Pacific region. In the past few years, India and Japan have been deepening military and strategic ties.