Admiral R. Hari Kumar, the head of the Indian Navy, will be in Japan from November 5 to November 9, where he will take in the Japanese international fleet review and the start of the 30th Malabar multilateral naval exercises.
The CNS will attend the 18th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS), being hosted by Japan as the WPNS’s current chair, on November 7-8 in Yokohama, as one of the observer ships during the visit. He will attend the opening of Exercise Malabar 2022, which will be held in Yokosuka with the involvement of Australia, Japan, and the USA, in addition to representing India and the Indian Navy during the IFR and WPNS.
Exercise MALABAR began in 1992, making this year its 30th anniversary.
As part of the IFR, WPNS, and MALABAR, Admiral R. Hari Kumar will also be connecting with his counterparts and other heads of delegation from close to 30 nations.
In addition, on November 2, Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kamorta landed in Yokosuka, Japan, to take part in IFR and Exercise MALABAR-2022. It will be possible to highlight the shipbuilding capabilities of Indian shipyards during a significant international gathering by having these Indian Navy ships that were produced domestically present at these multi-national events.
The CNS’s visit to Japan represents a high degree of defence cooperation between India and Japan, as well as their active participation in multilateral defence discussions.