India, Japan likely to Sign Logistics Support Deal During Shinzo Abe’s India Visit

New Delhi: India and Japan are likely to sign a logistics support agreement during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit next month.

The agreement will ensure that Indian warships and air force planes, among other things, will be able to enter, refuel and pick up provisions in Japanese defence bases and vice-versa. This is another example of the growing closeness between the defence establishments of both countries. India has a similar agreement– the LEMOA– with the United States. A similar one with Russia is almost ready for signing.

While the agreement will be signed during Abe’s visit, it will be readied during the first 2+2 meeting between the two countries this weekend. Japan’s foreign minister Moshimitsu Motegi and defence minister Taro Kono will be meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. So far, India has had 2+2 meetings only with the Americans, and that too, just once. The next 2+2 meeting with the USA is in Washington on December 18.

During the 2+2 meeting with Japan and the Abe visit, the Indo-Pacific will be on the agenda, especially the desire to have “free and open” movement. This is clearly a reference to China. For the Japanese and the Americans feel very strongly about the islets “created” by the Chinese in the South China Sea to define where its territorial waters are.

The two countries, apart from the logistics support agreement, will be considering closer defence ties. Both India and Japan and of course, the United States are part of Exercise Malabar, a big annual naval exercise, recently held off the coast of Japan. There are also smaller exercises between the armies and the air forces, but there is a wish to take things further, possibly in areas like training. Japan wants India to buy its seaplanes but there is a wariness, primarily because of the cost.

The Modi-Abe summit is unlikely to happen in New Delhi, as of now. It is probably easier to say where it won’t happen. The Japanese aren’t keen on Varanasi or Gujarat– Abe has been there already– or Mahabalipuram, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Modi. The venue is expected to have a historical or cultural background. The dates are under discussion, but the meeting will be after December 9, as the Diet, Japanese Parliament, is in session till that date. Mid-December is being seen as a likely option.

Source: Times Now News

Image Courtesy: BW