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Japan is planning to deploy its F-2 fighter aircraft to India for the first time as part of a joint air exercise later this month, a move Chinese state media has portrayed as an attempt by Tokyo to strengthen military coordination with New Delhi against Beijing.
Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to visit India and Australia from August 17. During his visit to New Delhi, Koizumi is likely to hold talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, with the proposed deployment of Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-2 fighter jets expected to feature on the agenda.
If finalised, it would mark the first deployment of Japanese fighter aircraft to India for bilateral training. The two countries held their maiden joint fighter exercise in Japan in 2023, reflecting the steady expansion of defence cooperation between the Indo-Pacific partners.
According to a report in China’s Global Times, citing officials from Japan’s Ministry of Defence, Tokyo views the exercise as a signal aimed at “countering China” amid growing strategic competition in the region.
China Questions Strategic Intent
Chinese state media argued that the proposed deployment reflects Japan’s broader effort to deepen military coordination with India while expanding its defence profile beyond its traditional post-war constraints.
Liu Zongyi, Director of the Center for South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told Global Times that Japan is seeking to evolve into a “normal” military power by expanding defence exports and overseas military cooperation, while India is interested in accessing Japanese defence technologies and industrial capabilities.
According to Liu, the partnership is driven by converging strategic interests rather than ideological alignment, with both countries leveraging the relationship to advance their respective security objectives.
Deepening Defence Cooperation
The report also highlighted growing defence industrial cooperation between New Delhi and Tokyo.
Japan earlier relaxed restrictions on the export of lethal defence equipment, enabling military sales and technology transfers to countries, including India, with which it has defence equipment agreements.
At the India-Japan summit in July, both sides reached a broad understanding on exporting Japan’s UNICORN integrated communications antenna system for the Indian Navy, while wider defence equipment cooperation is also expected to be discussed.
The F-2 fighter, manufactured primarily by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is Japan’s indigenous multirole combat aircraft developed jointly with the United States from the F-16 platform.
Warning Against ‘Anti-China Frontline’
Reflecting Beijing’s official narrative, Global Times claimed that while India seeks advanced military technologies and stronger defence capabilities, New Delhi has traditionally maintained strategic autonomy rather than joining formal anti-China blocs.
The Chinese report cautioned that Japan’s public framing of the proposed exercises as part of efforts to counter China could risk drawing India into Tokyo’s geopolitical competition with Beijing.
It further repeated Beijing’s longstanding criticism of Japan’s expanding security role, arguing that Tokyo’s military normalisation and defence outreach should be viewed in the context of its wartime history in Asia.
The reported F-2 deployment comes as India and Japan continue to strengthen defence cooperation through regular military exercises, logistics agreements and expanding defence-industrial collaboration, reflecting the broader strategic convergence between the two Quad partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Team BharatShakti
