Japan, India Hold Joint Coast Guard Drill

January 17, 2020

Chennai, India- The Japanese and Indian coast guards conducted a joint drill in waters off Chennai, southeastern India, on Thursday.

The 18th such exercise between the two nations came at a time when China is expanding its maritime presence near the South Asian country.

Sharing the concept of a "free and open Indo-Pacific" to ensure the freedom of navigation and the administration of law, Japan and India intend to display through the drill their unity against Chinese threats, people familiar with the situation said.

The exercise was joined by the Echigo patrol vessel and its helicopter from the Japan Coast Guard and five patrol ships, including the Shaurya, as well as helicopters and planes from the Indian Coast Guard.

In the drill, the Echigo stopped a vessel in cooperation with the Indian ships and aircraft under a scenario that it was occupied by pirates, and took back control of the ship by cracking down on the pirates. Participants also extinguished a fire on a vessel and carried out a rescue operation.

JCG chief Takahiro Okushima and his Indian counterpart, Krishnaswamy Natarajan, viewed the joint drill after holding a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday

Natarajan said after the inspection that his country will prosecute without mercy any intruders into its exclusive economic zone, such as Chinese ships.

He also thanked the JCG for providing special assistance for improving the ICG's response capabilities.

Okushima said, "We'd like to make steady efforts to realize an Indo-Pacific region based on the rule of law by continuing drills and exchanging opinions."

The Echigo left its home port in the north-central Japan city of Niigata on Dec. 26 last year and carried out a patrol against pirates on high seas along the way ahead of the joint training in the Bay of Bengal.

The ship will visit Malaysia before returning to Niigata in February. Jiji Press