INDIA. Mumbai: Various events, including joint exercises, a concert with military bands from overseas, and a parade, are being organised by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) as part of “Fleet Week” till November 13.
As part of the program, the “International Fleet Review (IFR)” was conducted by the JMSDF at Yokosuka on Sunday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its formation.
Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), is on an official visit to Japan till November 2009. As one of the observers, he will attend the 18th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) on November 7 and 8, 2008, as the current Chair of WPNS.
In addition to representing India and the Indian Navy during the IFR and WPNS, he will also be in attendance for the inauguration of the 2022 edition of Exercise Malabar, being held at Yokosuka with the participation of Australia, Japan, and the USA. Initiated in 1992, this year marks the 30th anniversary of Exercise Malabar.
Admiral R. Hari Kumar will also be interacting with his counterparts and other Heads of Delegations from close to 30 countries participating in the WPNS and Malabar.
Indian Naval Ships “Shivalik” and “Kamorta” are in Yokosuka to participate in Exercise Malabar 2022. The presence of these indigenously built ships of the Indian Navy at these multi-national events will be an opportunity to showcase the ship-building capabilities of Indian Shipyards during a large international gathering.
An official statement said the visit of the CNS to Japan signifies a high level of bilateral defence engagements with Japan as well as India’s active support for and participation in multilateral engagements.
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