Japan, India to hold 1st foreign, defense vice minister-level talks

TOKYO, July 1 Kyodo -
Japan and India will hold the first meeting of their vice foreign and defense
ministers next Tuesday in New Delhi to boost bilateral security cooperation,
Japanese government sources said Thursday.
The vice minister-level talks, which the two countries agreed to launch during
a meeting last December between then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his
Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, will likely focus on sharing views on
regional security that involves situations of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and
North Korea.
Japan and India are also expected to touch upon the defense of sea lanes in the
Indian Ocean and possible cooperation between Japan's Maritime Self-Defense
Force and the Indian Navy in anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia
and the Indian Ocean, the sources said.
The security talks between Japan and India could unnerve China, as the two
countries have aired concerns over China's military buildup.
The ruling Democratic Party of Japan says in its election pledge that Tokyo
will promote security cooperation with Australia, South Korea and India, and
demands that China enhance the transparency of its defense policy.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who succeeded Hatoyama last month, and Singh agreed
Sunday as they met in Toronto that the two countries should develop a strategic
partnership in the areas of economy and security.
Singh told Kan at that time the defense of sea lanes would facilitate bilateral
trade and benefit the two countries, according to Japanese officials.
==Kyodo