Context

• Armies of India and Japan conducted their first-ever joint military exercise- Dharma Guardian-2018 -in Mizoram’s Vairengte.
• Participants: The Japanese contingent is represented by 32nd Infantry Battalion, while the Indian side by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles.

About

Focus areas:

• The exercise will focus on enhancing tactical skills against global terrorism and increasing interoperability between the two forces.
• Both the armies will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario.

Other joint exercises between India and Japan are:

• The Malabar exercise
• Passage Exercises (PASSEX)
• The first counter-terrorism exercise between the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and the Indian Army.
• Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) participation as observer in Cope India.
• From October 7 to 15, India and Japan held the third edition of the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) in Visakhapatnam, in southern India.

Significance

• The exercise will contribute immensely in developing mutual understanding and respect for each other’s military.
• This exercise will help in deepening the military relations between the two countries.
• It will help to fight the global menace of terrorism and will shift the focus once again to:
  • The Indo-Pacific region.
  • China’s growing military footprint.
  • The implications of the so-called ‘Quad’, an informal quadrilateral security arrangement involving the US, Japan, India and Australia.