Gen. Upendra Dwivedi To Visit Japan To Boost Defense Cooperation

The Army chief will visit Hiroshima from October 14 to 17, where he will lay a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Park and pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue.

The visit is a “significant step in bolstering defence cooperation between India and Japan,” according to a statement released here.

On Monday, Gen Dwivedi will meet with Sibi George, India’s Ambassador to Japan, and then hold a discussion about India-Japan relations at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo.

On Tuesday, he will hold a dialogue with Japan’s senior military leadership at the defense ministry in Ichigaya.

During his visit, the Army chief will meet with Gen Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff of the Joint Self-Defense Force; Gen Morishita Yasunori, Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF); and Ishikawa Takeshi, Commissioner of the Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA), according to the statement.

Gen Dwivedi will also visit the MoD memorial in Ichigaya and receive a Guard of Honour from the JGSDF.

The itinerary also includes an interaction with senior JGSDF officials and a visit to the National Institute of Defence Studies.

On Wednesday, the Indian Army chief, accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self Defence Force, will visit Fuji School and speak with Lt Gen Kodama Yasuyuki, Commanding General of Fuji School. Gen Dwivedi will be briefed at the School, where he will also see an equipment and facility display.

On the final leg of his visit, the general will visit Hiroshima on October 17, where he will lay a wreath at Hiroshima Peace Park and pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue.

Gen Dwivedi’s visit aims to strengthen cooperation between India and Japan’s militaries while also “exploring new avenues of collaboration” between the two countries, according to the statement.