India-Japan will agree on cooperation in anti-piracy measures

On Board Air India One, Dec 13 (UNI) India and Japan will agree on cooperation in anti-piracy measures during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tokyo, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan said today.

Talking to reporters accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his four-day visit to Japan, he said coast guards of the two countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sometime ago and they were already conducting joint exercises.

The two countries proposed to soon start cooperation in anti-piracy measures in sea lanes of the area, Mr Narayanan added.

Describing the visit of then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Tokyo in May as 'pathbreaking', the NSA said since then the Japanese defence agency was looking at enlarging its role and would like greater degree of undersatnding with India.

Mr Narayanan said the purpose of the Prime Minister's visit was to enhance the strategic relationship and upgrade it to the level of global partnership.

''We think during the Prime Minister's meetings with the Japanese leaders, it will be possible to achieve this objective.

We havea wide range of topics, including plluicy matters, strategic issues and defence cooperation,'' he added.

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