Traffic at the Maritime Self-Defense Force base at Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, is typically dominated by Japanese and U.S. warships, but in July it saw an unusual variety of vessel. An Indian frigate and destroyer docked en route to joint exercises in the Western Pacific.

The INS Shivalik and INS Ranvijay's appearance at the port near Nagasaki showed Japan's interest in developing ties with the South Asian nation as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government faces deepening tensions with China. Japan for the third time joined the U.S. and India in the annual Malabar drills that usually are held in the Bay of Bengal.

With Abe loosening limits on his nation's military, the exercises that conclude Wednesday showcase Japan's expanding naval profile as China pushes maritime claims in disputed areas of the East and South China Seas. For newly installed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's attention adds to that of China itself, in an opportunity to expand his own country's sway.