Japan and India moved to expand air force ties before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits New Delhi in a few weeks, bolstering relations two months after China declared an air defense identification zone in a disputed area.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and his Indian counterpart, A.K. Antony, discussed starting talks between air force officials while reaffirming plans to conduct regular naval exercises, according to an Indian government statement Monday. Asia's second- and third-largest economies may also conduct pilot exchanges, it said.
"Both sides know that China stands between them and that they'd be smart to make sure they're on the same page with each other now and in the future," said C. Uday Bhaskar, an analyst with the New Delhi-based National Maritime Foundation who spent 37 years in the Indian navy. "They're taking steps, small steps, but if there's an inclusion of the air force now, then you're seeing growth in this relationship."