In Tokyo, Japan— Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), is in Japan for an official four-day visit from July 30 to August 2, 2025. The goal is to greatly improve defense relations between the two countries, with a focus on working together at sea.
Admiral Tripathi paid his respects at the Memorial Cenotaph and inspected the Guard of Honour on Wednesday, July 30. After there, he had important talks with Admiral Saito Akira, the Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The two naval leaders talked about how to make their navies work together better and more effectively by having more operational engagements, better interoperability, sharing best practices, growing capacity together, and exchanging training programs.
The Ministry of Defence says that this visit is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the “Special Strategic and Global Partnership” between India and Japan, with a focus on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific area. Admiral Tripathi is also going to meet with high-ranking Japanese government officials, such as Minister of Defense Mr. Nakatani Gen and Vice-Minister of Defense Masuda Kazuo. He will visit JMSDF troops and meet with the Commander-in-Chief of the Self-Defence Fleet at Funakoshi JMSDF Base.
The Ministry of Defence said that Admiral Tripathi’s visits to Japan will strengthen the bonds of friendship and defense cooperation, making it easier for both countries to understand each other better in areas of shared strategic and maritime interest. The visit strengthens the long-standing friendship between India and Japan, which is based on mutual respect, trust at sea, and a common goal of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Recent efforts also include more cooperation to improve maritime connectivity and regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. These efforts include talks about Japanese investment in Indian shipyards, port digitization, green initiatives, and the creation of “Smart Islands” in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.
Admiral Tripathi’s prior trip to Tanzania in April 2025 was meant to develop strategic connections and improve maritime cooperation with African countries. The first-ever Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) exercise, which took place from April 13 to 18, was a major highlight of that visit. The Indian Navy and the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) worked together to put on AIKEYME, which means “Unity” in Sanskrit. It was a big multilateral maritime exercise. Ten African countries that are on the Indian Ocean took part, including Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, and Eritrea. The drill was based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision, which called for working together to solve regional marine problems, improve interoperability, and build cordial relations.
Admiral Tripathi’s two visits in a row show that India is strengthening its maritime diplomacy and is committed to building better defense relationships in important strategic areas, especially in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific.