As per an official release, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of India, General Upendra Dwivedi has embarked on a four-day visit to Japan, from 14th to 17th October 2024. It is to mark a significant step in bolstering the defence cooperation between India and Japan.

The visit by General Dwivedi aims at strengthening military cooperation between India and Japan besides exploring new avenues of collaboration between the two nations.

As per schedule, on the 14th of October 2024, General Dwivedi will interact with the Indian Ambassador to Japan Shri Sibi George, and will thereafter engage in discussion on India-Japan relations at the Embassy of India, Tokyo.

On the second day of his visit, the 15th of October 2024, the COAS of India will engage in dialogues with the senior military leadership of Japan at the MoD (Ministry of Defence) in Ichigaya. The meetings are planned with Gen Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff, Joint Self Defence Force; Gen Morishita Yasunori, Chief of Staff, Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF); and, Mr Ishikawa Takeshi, Commissioner of Acquisition, Technology and Logistic Agency (ATLA).

Discussions will aim to foster stronger military cooperation between India and Japan. General Dwivedi will also pay homage at the Memorial at MoD, Ichigaya, and be given a Guard of Honor by the JGSDF. The itinerary also includes an interaction with the senior hierarchy of the JGSDF and a visit to the National Institute of Defence Studies.

On 16th October 2024, COAS General Dwivedi accompanied by Gen MORISHITA Yasunori, Chief of Staff, Japan Ground Self Defence Force, will visit Fuji School, wherein he will engage in a conversation with Lt Gen Kodama Yasuyuki, Commanding Gen of Fuji School. The COAS will be given a briefing at the School and he will also witness an Equipment and Facility Display. On the last day of his visit, 17 October 2024, the COAS will visit Hiroshima, where he will lay a wreath at Hiroshima Peace Park and pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhis Statue.