New Delhi: Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar is on an official visit to Japan from Nov 5 to 9 to witness the International Fleet Review (IFR) and participate in several multilateral engagements.
The International Fleet Review is conducted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) at Yokosuka on Nov 6 to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of its formation.
During the visit, as one of the Observer Navies in the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS), Admiral Kumar will attend the 18th WPNS on November 7-8 at Yokohama, being hosted by Japan, as the current Chair of WPNS, the Indian Navy said.
In addition to representing India and the Indian Navy, the Admiral 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 US.
Initiated in 1992, this year marks the 30th anniversary year of Exercise Malabar.
Admiral Hari Kumar would also interact with his counterparts and other heads of delegations from close to 30 countries participating in the IFR, WPNS and Malabar, the Indian Navy said.
Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kamorta arrived at Yokosuka, Japan, on Nov 2 to participate in the IFR and Exercise Malabar.
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.
The visit of the Navy Chief signifies a high level of bilateral defence engagements with Japan as well as India’s active support and participation in multilateral engagements, the Navy added.
