India and Japan emphasize a united global stance against terrorism

India and Japan on Monday pitched for united global efforts to confront terrorism in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh condemning Pakistan's policy of "cross-border" terrorist activities targeting India.

The Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 figured prominently in talks between Singh and his visiting counterpart, Gen. Nakatani, that largely focused on boosting India-Japan defense ties in new areas, including tank engines and aero engines.

"Singh condemned Pakistan's state policy of cross-border terrorism against India, perpetrated through state and non-state actors," the defense ministry said in a readout.

"He stated that such attacks destabilize regional peace and security. Rajnath Singh called for a unified stand against terrorism and the state-sponsored actions that perpetuate it," it said.

The Japanese defense minister expressed his condolences on the death of 26 civilians in the terror attack and offered "full support" to India, the ministry said.

The two ministers agreed to "add new dimensions" to the "robust" maritime cooperation between India and Japan, it said.

Nakatani's visit to India came amid its heightened tensions with Pakistan.

"I would like to thank the government of Japan for their strong expression of solidarity with India in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack," Singh said in his opening remarks at the delegation-level talks that followed a one-on-one meeting.

Minister Nakatani condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and expressed solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism.

"India shares a special, strategic, and global partnership with Japan. During the bilateral meeting we discussed defense cooperation and regional security," Singh said in a social media post.

The defense ministry said Singh and Nakatani reviewed the defense and security pillars of the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership.

"They reaffirmed their commitment towards strengthening the bilateral relations and contributing towards regional peace," it said.

The ministers welcomed the growing diversity and frequency of defense exercises and exchanges between the two countries and concurred to enhance the "scope and complexity" of these engagements, the readout noted.

In the meeting, Singh outlined the capability of the Indian defense industry, particularly its potential to collaborate with the Japanese side on new areas including tank engines and aero engines.

Singh highlighted the capabilities in the areas of maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations.

"Both sides agreed to enhance industry cooperation, including exploring collaboration in niche domains such as automation and artificial intelligence," according to the ministry.

The two ministers also decided to take forward the cooperation in emerging areas like cyber and space.

"The dialogue ended with a strong commitment by both sides to enhance the bilateral defense cooperation," the defense ministry said.

It was the second meeting between the two defense ministers within six months after their maiden interaction in November on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus at Lao PDR.

At that meeting, Singh and Gen. Nakatani deliberated on a reciprocal provision of supply and services agreement for greater interoperability between their militaries.

The reciprocal supply and services pact, if sealed, would provide for the militaries of the two countries to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, besides facilitating the scaling up of overall defense cooperation.