Japan: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar visits JMSDF Kure Naval Base in Japan, meets Vice Admiral Matsumoto Tamotsu

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Tokyo, July 14 (IANS) Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Tuesday met Vice Admiral Matsumoto Tamotsu, Commandant, Kure District, at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Kure Naval Base in Hiroshima and visited the 7th Mogami-class stealth frigate of the JMSDF JS Niyodo.

“Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh met Vice Admiral Matsumoto Tamotsu, Commandant, Kure District, at the JMSDF Kure Naval Base, Hiroshima. He also visited the 7th Mogami-class stealth frigate of the JMSDF JS Niyodo. The visit reaffirmed the commitment of India-Japan to further strengthen maritime security cooperation and deepen defence ties,” Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, posted on X.

Currently, Rajesh Kumar Singh is on an official visit to Japan, where he led the Indian delegation at the 8th Defence Policy Dialogue. For the meeting, the Japanese delegation was led by Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Kano Koji

India and Japan held the 8th Defence Policy Dialogue in Tokyo on Monday, reaffirming their commitment to further strengthen the Special Strategic and Global Partnership and to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

Both sides discussed ways to deepen cooperation in emerging domains, including defence industrial collaboration, technological innovation, cyber security, space, and other areas of shared strategic interest. The two sides also expressed satisfaction with the growing convergence between India and Japan on regional and global security issues and agreed to continue working closely in the Indo-Pacific, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Defence.

The two countries reiterated their commitment to promoting a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region founded on respect for international law. Both sides discussed the prevailing regional and global security environment and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.

“The dialogue reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral defence engagements, including military-to-military exchanges, co-operation between joint headquarters, maritime cooperation, defence exercises, capacity building, defence equipment and technology cooperation including maritime technology, and enhanced institutional interactions,” the Ministry of Defence stated.

The two nations welcomed the steady expansion of defence cooperation and stressed the importance of maintaining regular high-level exchanges and dialogue mechanisms. They discussed probable outcomes for the forthcoming Ministerial visits including 2+2, scheduled to be held later this year.

“Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh and Japanese Vice Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Defense Mr Kano Koji co-chaired the 8th India–Japan Defence Policy Dialogue in Tokyo on July 13, 2026. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the India–Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership and to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific,” Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, posted on X.

During the dialogue, Rajesh Kumar Singh expressed appreciation for Japan’s continued engagement with India in the defence sector and underscored the importance of strengthening practical cooperation under the framework of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

Singh called on Japanese Minister of Defence Shinjiro Koizumi, and conveyed greetings of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The two sides reaffirmed the growing momentum of India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. He also presented an invite from Defence Minister to Koizumi for his visit to India at an earliest opportunity.

“Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh met Japan’s Minister of Defense Mr Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo on July 13, 2026, reaffirming the growing momentum of the India-Japan Special Strategic and; Global Partnership. Building on the outcomes of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent visit to India, both sides held wide-ranging and productive discussions on regional security, maritime cooperation, defence industrial collaboration and advancing a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific. The meeting underscored the shared commitment to further elevate India-Japan defence ties,” the Ministry of Defence mentioned.

Singh also laid wreath at the Self-Defense Forces Memorial Stone in Tokyo, paying tribute to the members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their nation.

“The visit underscored the growing and deepening defence ties, mutual respect, and shared commitment of India and Japan towards peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” the Defence Ministry emphasised.

–IANS

akl/rs

Related Posts

MP CM to inaugurate five-day ‘Mahakal Van Mela’ in Ujjain tomorrow

Ujjain, Feb 10 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will inaugurate the five-day-long Forest Department’s exhibition titled ‘Mahakal Van Mela’ in Madhya Pradesh’s religious city Ujjain on February 11.

The mega event is being organised at Dussehra ground located in Sethi Nagar in the city. On this occasion, the Chief Minister will also release the ‘Mahakal Smriti Gift’ produced by the MFP Park (Minor Forest Produce Processing & Research Centre).

Mohan Yadav will also launch a new initiative of the Forest Department titled ‘Mahakal Van Prasadam,’ the Chief Minister’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ‘Mahakal Van Mela’ will be based on the theme ‘prosperous forests, happy people’ and will be held from February 11 to February 16. This is the first time that a Van Mela is being organised in the holy city of Ujjain, the government said.

“The Van Mela is being organised to promote the display, conservation, enhancement, processing, and marketing of non-timber forest produce collected by forest dwellers across the state,” it said.

Collectors of non-timber forest produce, Van Dhan Kendras, Primary Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Societies, traders, and representatives of herbal and Ayurvedic industries will participate in the event and display and sell their products.

Facilities such as a kids’ zone, wheelchairs, golf carts, seating areas, water points, and selfie points will also be available for visitors. The fair will feature buyer-seller meets, free medical consultations by Ayurvedic doctors and traditional healers, informative cultural programs, and the availability of traditional food items.

Special attractions at the event will include a giant sculpture of the cheetah family and dinosaurs, wheelchair and golf cart facilities for senior citizens, separate seating arrangements for patients receiving treatment at the OPD, free bus service from the Mahakal temple to the fair venue, and an attractive and fun kids’ zone for children.

During the event, the Chief Minister will also present certificates of appreciation to the Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) and the Managing Director, District Union South Panna, as well as to the Forest Guard, District Union South Panna.

–IANS

pd/dan

HMPV: 1 more case reported from Gujarat; no need to panic, says govt (lead)

New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) One more case of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been detected in Gujarat on Monday, taking the tally to three cases in the country.

A two-year-old child was reported to be infected from Chandkheda’s area of Ahmedabad.

The child, from Rajasthan, was admitted to a private hospital in Chandkheda after showing symptoms of cold and cough. The child is stable now, reports quoted civic officials as saying.

This comes after the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Monday informed of two HMPV cases in two babies — aged three- and eight-month-old — in Bengaluru.

The HMPV infection was detected via routine surveillance in a 3-month-old girl and an 8-month-old boy in Bengaluru.

Both had a history of bronchopneumonia — a form of pneumonia, a lung infection. Bronchopneumonia affects both the alveoli in the lungs and the bronchi.

“Both cases were identified through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, as part of ICMR’s ongoing efforts to monitor respiratory illnesses across the country,” the health ministry statement said.

The ministry noted that while the baby girl “has been discharged”, the baby boy “is now recovering”.

“It is important to note that neither of the affected patients have any history of international travel,” the Ministry said.

The Karnataka government has emphasised that the HMPV already exists in India, and the cases detected are the first in India.

“We cannot call it the first case in the country. The virus already exists here. The individual may have been tested for this specific virus, and it has been detected, that’s all,” said Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, while speaking to the media, ahead of an emergency meeting on the matter.

The Ministry stated that HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India. Cases of respiratory illnesses associated with HMPV have been reported in Malaysia and various countries, particularly in China.

“Union Health Ministry is monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels,” it said noting that, “there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country”.

ICMR will continue to track trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the ministry also reiterated that “India is well-equipped to handle any potential increase in respiratory illnesses and public health interventions can be deployed promptly if needed”.

HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and is part of the Pneumoviridae family along with the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The symptoms commonly associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.

–IANS

rvt/

15.79 crore rural households given tap water connections under JJM: Centre

New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS) Under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), over 15.79 crore or 81.57 per cent rural households have been provided functional tap water connections, up from 3.24 crore or 16.71 per cent in August 2019, the Parliament was informed on Monday.

In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, said that as per data updated by States/UTs on the IMIS portal till December 31, 2024, a total of 189 districts and 2,50,021 villages were reported to be covered under ‘Har Ghar Jal’.

Informing that in the Union Budget 2025–26, the Finance Minister has extended the Mission to December 2028, the MoS said the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that achieving the Mission’s goals will save the country’s women 5.5 crore hours daily, previously spent collecting water and prevent nearly 400,000 deaths from diarrhoeal diseases.

Somanna said Nobel laureate Michael Kremer suggests safe water coverage could reduce under-five child mortality by almost 30 per cent and research by IIM Bangalore and the ILO projects significant job creation, estimating millions of person-years of direct and indirect employment through the Mission’s implementation phases.

He said that in order to encourage community participation, the operational guidelines for the implementation of JJM provide for constitution of a Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/Paani Samiti/User Group to carry out the responsibilities of water supply management in the village.

This Committee typically consists of 10-15 members including up to 25 per cent elected panchayat members, 50 per cent women, and members from weaker section (SC/ST) in proportion to their population, out of the remaining 25 per cent.

Also, a special initiative Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB), under Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA): Catch the rain (CTR), campaign was launched on September 6, 2024, which aims to promote collaborative community-driven water conservation efforts and focusses on enhancing water management through low-cost, scientifically-designed artificial recharge structures, ensuring active participation from local communities, industries, and other stakeholders.

–IANS

rch/rad