New Delhi: Coast Guards of India and Japan concluded an exercise near Chennai simulating to counter maritime threats in Asia-Pacific region and to formulate a
cooperative approach to address these concerns.
The mock drill was held during the visit of a high-level Japanese delegation led by Admiral Hisayasu Suzuki, the Commandant, Japan Coast Guard (JCG), for the XI High Level Meeting and Combined Exercises with the Indian Coast Guard
(ICG), the Defence Ministry said in a release.
The Memorandum of Cooperation between Coast Guards of India and Japn encompasses issues of maritime search and rescue, combating marine pollution, technical assistance for responding to natural disasters and exchange of information
regarding crimes at sea, including smuggling and illicit trafficking, it said.
The first combined exercises involving the Coast Guards of India and Japan were carried out in November 2000 off Chennai.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 30, 2012, 22:27