TOKYO, May 25: India and Japan pledged on Thursday to step up military cooperation, as Tokyo tries to move closer to Delhi, which is seeking to modernise its armed forces.

Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee was at the start of a visit to Japan and China, which have seen growing friction with each other and are both seeking to improve ties with India.

Mr Mukherjee and Japanese Defence Agency Director-General Fukushiro Nukaga signed an agreement to ‘promote wide-range cooperation in the defence and security field’, including in technical areas and training.

The two democracies share the goals of promoting ‘peace and stability in Asia and at the global level’ and of countering terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction, a joint statement said. They called for greater military coordination including meetings between defence chiefs at regular intervals.—AFP