By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Nov 7:
Various events including joint exercises, concert with military bands from overseas and a parade are being organised by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) as part of “Fleet Week” till November 13.
The “International Fleet Review (IFR)” is being conducted by the JMSDF at “Yokosuka” on November 06 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 09, during which he will witness the IFR. As one of the observer, he will attend the 18th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) on November 07 and November 08, 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 year 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 IFR, WPNS and Malabar.
Indian Naval Ships “Shivalik” and “Kamorta” have reached Yokosuka, to participate in the IFR and 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.
The visit of the CNS to Japan signifies a high level of bilateral defence engagements with Japan, as well as India’s active support and participation in multilateral engagements, an official statement said.