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With China pressing from the north, supplying weapons to Pakistan and expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean, India is "surrounded by China in many ways", observed Hideshi Tokuchi, Japan's former Vice-Minister of Defence for International Affairs, calling for New Delhi and Tokyo to "do a lot more" together to strengthen their defence partnership.
The former Japanese Vice-Minister made the remarks in an exclusive interview with ANI on the sidelines of the three-day Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2026, which commenced in the national capital on Tuesday. Highlighting the evolving security challenges confronting India, Tokuchi said, "India is surrounded by China in many ways, by the Chinese ground force in the north and by the Chinese weapons by Pakistan and also China's maritime expansion in the Indian Ocean." On avenues for deepening bilateral defence cooperation, he recalled Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's visit to India in August and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded between the two countries on defence cooperation. The MoU signed in August aimed at strengthening maritime security cooperation, including information sharing, maritime domain awareness and coordination between the Indian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. He added, "Technology, equipment cooperation and also ship repair- those issues are very much important because India and Japan both are maritime countries and we share major maritime transit. So it is very important to further cooperate, particularly on maritime security." Tokuchi underlined the growing strategic competition among major powers, particularly the United States and China, as another factor making maritime cooperation increasingly important in the Indo-Pacific. He said, "The intensifying rivalry of major powers, particularly the United States and China, particularly in this region, maritime domain." Observing that Japan, too, faces mounting pressure from China, Tokuchi pointed to the expanding presence of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard. He said, "Japan is also under this big naval and also maritime law enforcement pressure from China. The expansion of the Chinese PLA Navy and also China's coast guard. We have the same common threat perceptions. So we can do a lot more in order to ensure maritime security." His remarks come as New Delhi hosts the 2026 edition of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue under the theme 'Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific'. The three-day dialogue seeks to bring together diverse perspectives on strengthening the foundations of maritime security in the region. (ANI)
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