‘Konnichiwa Koizumi San!’: Rajnath Singh welcomes Japanese defence minister on first India visit

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 20 welcomed his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi to India, greeting him with a traditional Japanese “Konnichiwa” as the two countries look to deepen defence and maritime security cooperation.

“Happy to welcome my Japanese counterpart on his maiden visit to India,” Singh said in a post on X, addressing Koizumi as “Koizumi San”.

Koizumi, who is on his first official visit to India, inspected a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi in Singh’s presence. He also visited the National War Memorial and laid a wreath in tribute to Indian soldiers who lost their lives in service.

The Japanese defence minister began his two-day visit in Mumbai on Wednesday, where he inspected a Guard of Honour at the Western Naval Command and paid his respects at the Gaurav Stambh at the Naval Dockyard.

He also visited the Indian Navy’s indigenous stealth destroyer INS Chennai, where he received operational briefings and held discussions with Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahajan Vatsayan.

According to the Defence Ministry, the Japanese delegation was briefed on the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities, roles and responsibilities in the region.

Japanese Ambassador to India Keiichi Ono also welcomed Koizumi, saying the visit had begun with “fruitful discussions on advancing maritime cooperation”.

Koizumi’s Mumbai engagements are being followed by a bilateral meeting with Singh in New Delhi, with the two ministers expected to discuss ways to expand defence and security cooperation.

The Defence Ministry said the talks will focus on strengthening strategic trust, promoting stability and security in the Indo-Pacific and identifying new areas of collaboration. Maritime security cooperation and greater collaboration in defence equipment and technology under the ‘Make in India’ framework are also expected to feature in the discussions.

The talks come after Japan revised its Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology, potentially opening up further scope for cooperation between the two countries in defence production and technology.

The ministry said India and Japan share a vision of a “free, open, resilient and prosperous” Indo-Pacific and described Koizumi’s visit as a sign of the growing momentum in bilateral defence ties.

The visit follows Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to India in July for the 16th Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the summit, India and Japan agreed to step up cooperation in areas including defence, artificial intelligence and clean energy, with more than USD 10 billion in agreements announced and a target of 10 trillion yen in Japanese investment over the next decade.