Tokyo, Nov 6 (IANS) India’s Ambassador to Japan, Nagma Mallick, and Vice Admiral A N Pramod, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, hosted a deck reception onboard INS Sahyadri commemorating the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic ties, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Friday.
“Ambassador Mallick and Vice Admiral AN Pramod, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, hosted a deck reception onboard INS Sahyadri commemorating the 75th anniversary of India-Japan Diplomatic ties,” the Indian Embassy posted on X.
The frigate of the Eastern Fleet arrived at Yokosuka on Wednesday, where it was accorded a ceremonial welcome by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF).
“INS Sahyadri is visiting Japan for participation in the multilateral maritime exercise Malabar 2026 and bilateral maritime exercise Jaimex-2026,” the Embassy said.
According to the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), Malabar 2026 is taking place south of the Kanto region on the main island of Honshu from November 5-12.
The JMSDF has deployed helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH-182), frigate JS Mogami (FFM-1), a submarine and a P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft for the drills.
While the Indian Navy has deployed frigate INS Sahyadri (F49), Australia has deployed frigate HMAS Stuart (FFH153) and a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon MPA.
“Malabar 2026 brings together the navies of India, Japan, the United States and Australia, providing an opportunity for participating maritime forces to enhance operational coordination, strengthen interoperability and exchange professional expertise through a series of engagements in harbour and at sea,” the Ministry of Defence had said in a statement on Thursday.
“The harbour phase will include professional interactions and coordinated planning, followed by the sea phase involving INS Sahyadri and participating units of the United States, Australia and Japan. These engagements will further strengthen mutual trust and cooperation while contributing to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific,” the statement had said.
The indigenously built warship arrived in Japan after concluding its participation in the India-Republic of Korea Navy (IN-RoKN) bilateral exercise at Busan.
–IANS
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