India, Japan hold talks to deepen military ties

India and Japan on Friday discussed issues related to the reciprocal provision of supply and services and the participation of their militaries in bilateral and multilateral exercises, with a focus on sharpening inter-operability between their armed forces, during talks between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart General Nakatani. The pact establishes the enabling framework for closer cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries while engaged in bilateral training activities, United Nations peacekeeping operations, humanitarian relief, and other mutually agreed activities. Earlier this week, Singh held talks with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun, and emphasised the need for the two countries to work towards de-escalation of the conflict in the sensitive Ladakh theatre on the back of the recent disengagement of Indian and Chinese armies from Depsang and Demchok. The disengagement was completed along the disputed Line of Actual Control, and patrols by both armies resumed, around 10 days after India and China on October 21 announced a breakthrough in negotiations to resolve their stand-off in Depsang and Demchok, the last two flashpoints in Ladakh where the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army were eyeball-to-eyeball since May 2020.