The current global strategic environment is characterised by an accelerating and increasingly complex shift in the balance of power, and intensifying competition among nations in numerous fields. On the other hand, global cooperation is required as never before in order to address security challenges, says Rear Admiral Nishiyama Takahiro, Commander Escort Flotilla One of Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF).
Rear Admiral Nishiyama Takahiro was addressing a joint press conference with Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, here on July 6 (Thursday), a day after the commencement of the seventh edition of the bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercise-2023 (JIMEX-23) being hosted by the Indian Navy off the Visakhapatnam coast up to July 10.
The Japanese officer said that having a free and open Indo-Pacific region was the need of the hour, and it required the cooperation between the friendly navies.
“Both Japan and India are maritime nations with vast oceans, and depend on the security of ‘Sea lines of communication’. For both the countries, securing the security environment in the Indo-Pacific is a lifeline that is vital for our own survival and prosperity,” he observed.
“Both the countries are in ‘Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership’, and our bilateral security and defence cooperation is the key to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
Rear Admiral Gurucharan Singh said this edition marked the 11th anniversary of JIMEX, since its inception in 2012.
JIMEX-23 will witness the participation of INS Delhi, India’s first indigenously built guided missile destroyer, INS Kamorta, an indigenously designed and built anti-submarine warfare corvette, fleet tanker INS Shakti, a submarine, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and Dornier, ship-borne helicopters, and fighter aircraft.
JMSDF will be represented by the guided missile destroyer JS Samidare and its integral helicopters.
The exercise will be conducted for six days in two phases - a Harbour Phase in Visakhapatnam, comprising professional, sports and social interactions, after which, the two navies will jointly hone their war fighting skills at sea and enhance their interoperability through complex multi-discipline operations in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.
