The Economic Times

In implicit message to Beijing, India and Japan oppose unilateral actions impeding freedom of navigation

India and Japan on Thursday signed a maritime security pact and agreed to deepen defence cooperation to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. Defence ministers Rajnath Singh and Shinjiro Koizumi opposed unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force or coercion, while backing joint naval shipbuilding, intelligence-sharing and technology cooperation.