Indo- Japan strategic axis formed for encircling China ?

(Vndata- Dec 21, 2013) The first Japan - India joint naval exercise, is ongoing in the Indian Ocean, showing signs of forming a new strategic military alliance in Asia.

The four-day long exercise in the Bay of Bengal will include anti-piracy operations, gun firing, cross-deck helicopter operations and anti-submarine warfare. The war-game seeks to enhance inter-operability, enabling the two navies to undertake maritime security operations in future.

The Indian Navy will be represented by the indigenous built stealth frigate “INS Satpura”, guided missile destroyer the “INS Ranvijay” and missile corvette “INS Kuthar”. From the Japan side, two guided missile destroyers, “JS Ariake” and “JS Setogiri” will participate.

The mock war drill has harbour and sea phases of two days each. The sea phase includes Visit, Board, Search and Seizure drills frequently undertaken during anti-piracy operations and operations in anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-air threat scenarios.

Although Indian media said that the aim of this exercise is to form a new strategic axis, but in fact, this is not only once the two countries to held joint exercise. During Defence Minister A K Antony’s visit to Tokyo in 2011, India and Japan agreed on holding regular bilateral naval exercises. The maiden exercise was conducted off Japan in January 2012, which is being followed by this exercise off Chennai. And earlier in 2007, the Japanese Self-Defense Force have been involved in international maritime exercise "Marabel-07" hosted by India .

INS Satpura

In addition to conducting exercises at sea, in recent years military cooperation between the two countries is increasing.

According to the newspaper "News of Russia" (Известия), the Indian Army is proposing to buy Japanese- made high- range meteorological radar, fire control systems and photovoltaic systems on ships. Indian Army said that Japan will likely agree to sell their military equipment. If acquisitions are successful, India will install these systems in Ladakh region of Indian- controlled Kashmir.

It is the high and long range realm radar, India will use this system to not only for spying China, Pakistan and Afghanistan near the Himalayan region. This radar system is not only used for scientific research, but also for enhancing the ability to observe missiles of the nations around India, especially China and Pakistan.

Also, according to the "The Times of India", once said, military cooperation relation of the two countries (India and Japan) is continuously developing, in future, all seaports of India will open for Japan's ships, by that the shared strategic geopolitical and military resources between the two countries will be performed, opening up a new strategic axis for encircling China - the increasingly combative nation in the territorial disputes.