Vice Admiral RF Contractor, Director General Coast Guard visited Japan from 26 – 31 May 07. He was there on an official visit to conduct High Level talks with the Japan Coast Guard authorities in addition to oversee the Japan Coast Guard Sea Review at Tokyo and the VIIIth Indo Japan Coast Guard Joint Exercise at Nagoya.
The DG was accorded a very warm welcome by Commandant Hiroki Ishikawa, Chief of Japanese Coast Guard. During his official meetings with his Japanese counterpart and other agencies, various issues such as cooperation in the field of search and rescue, anti-piracy, drugs and arms trafficking, illegal immigration, environmental protection, disaster management and response, boarding Operations and training were discussed. The DG Coast Guard also took the Salute of Indian Coast Guard Ship – Sagar during the steam past by the ship.
Indian and Japanese Coast Guards have been conducting joint exercises every year since the year 2000 alternately in India and Japan. Last year on November 24th, a memorandum of Co-operation was signed between the two Coast Guards at Mumbai. The visit of this High Level delegation led by the Indian Director General thus assumes great significance in the context of Indo-Japan strategic and Global Partnership dialogue initiated during Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan in December last year.
