India, Japan to conduct 1st bilateral air combat exercise in January 2023

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India and Japan will conduct their first Air exercise from 16 January to 26 January 2023 at the Hyakuri Air Base and at the Iruma Air Base in Sayama Japan.

The decision to conduct bilateral air exercise was taken during defence minister Rajnath Singh meeting with the Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada held in Tokyo, Japan on 8 September 2022.

According to the information, around 150 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel will take part in the exercise along with the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF).  The aim of the combat exercise is to strengthen defence cooperation between the forces, enhance tactical skills and promote mutual understanding.

India -Japan military exercise

At present both the countries conduct bilateral Naval and Army exercises.

The bilateral Army Dharma Guardian exercise was started in 2018. It was held in Belagavi, Karnataka in February 2022. 

Naval Exercise 

 The Indian Navy has been conducting the Japan India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) with the Japan Maritime Self Defence every year since 2012. This year it was held from 11-17 September in the Bay of Bengal.