Naval drill of India, US, Japan to begin next week

Naval manoeuvres, that have rankled China in the past, are set to unfold in the North Pacific Ocean next week.

Japanese warships will join an armada of US and Indian warships to take part in an exercise in Malabar from July 24-30 — a trilateral engagement that China has been suspicious of and is expected to track closely.

China had lodged a formal protest when Japan was invited to take part in this exercise in 2007. The Malabar series has historically been an Indo-US affair, but its scope has widened with Japan being invited for the third time.

Japanese ambassador to India, Takeshi Yagi, said his country attached immense importance to maritime cooperation with India.