In a bid to enhance defence cooperation between India and Japan, General Upendra Dwivedi, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), commenced his three-day visit to Japan on Monday. The visit, which will conclude on October 17, marks a significant step in fostering closer military ties between the two nations.

According to a Defence Ministry press release here, his itinerary began with a meeting with Sibi George, the Indian Ambassador to Japan, followed by discussions on India-Japan relations at the Embassy of India in Tokyo. The COAS will also engage in high-level talks with Japan’s senior military leadership at the Ministry of Defence in Ichigaya.

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Key meetings are scheduled with General Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff of the Joint Self-Defence Force; General Morishita Yasunori, Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF); and Mr. Ishikawa Takeshi, Commissioner of the Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA). The discussions aim to deepen military cooperation and explore future avenues of collaboration between India and Japan.

General Dwivedi will also pay respects at the Memorial at the Ministry of Defence in Ichigaya and will meet with senior JGSDF officials during his visit to the National Institute of Defence Studies. His itinerary also includes a visit to the Fuji School and culminates with a visit to Hiroshima, where he will lay a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and offer floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Peace Park.

This visit by General Dwivedi seeks to solidify India-Japan military relations while opening up new opportunities for defense cooperation, the press release highlighted.