Tokyo / New Delhi, October 28 — Japan has dispatched personnel to India to coordinate on defence-related matters as it explores training options for the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's (GSDF) long-range surface-to-ship missiles and small attack drones, the news agency IANS reported on Wednesday.

Source: IANS (via Tripura Times)

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, GSDF Chief of Staff General Masayoshi Arai confirmed the deployment. According to The Japan Times, reporting cited by EuropeSays, the officials arrived in India earlier this month and inspected several sites for about a week, as Japan assesses how to train with its Type 25 surface-to-ship missile, which has a range of about 1,000 km.

Source: The Japan Times / NHK (via EuropeSays)

"As you just asked, it is true that we have sent personnel to coordinate various matters with India. So, if we're going to operate a relatively long-range missile like the SSM, how do we conduct training that takes advantage of this range, that's a big challenge. Regarding this point, we are currently considering how to ensure a training environment within Japan, and how to utilise training environments abroad as needed," Arai said, according to IANS.

Asked whether the deployment also involved exploring launch sites for small attack drones, Arai said: "That includes things like that, and there are various shooting possibilities that we are adjusting." Reporting cited from Japan noted that drone training at home is hindered by radio-frequency use, communications, safety and coordination with local authorities, and that such systems can affect civilian television and smartphones.

Arai emphasised that Tokyo views New Delhi as an important partner in the Indo-Pacific and stressed the need to promote defence cooperation and exchanges amid an increasingly complex and challenging security environment. He declined to disclose further details of the deployment, citing Japan's relationship with India.

The outreach follows an October 6–9 visit to India by a 34-member delegation from the GSDF Command and General Staff Course, which interacted with the Indian Army and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and visited the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and the Wargame Research and Development Centre (WARDEC), according to IANS and an Indian Army post on X.

Japan has previously turned to Australia for missile training space: its Self-Defense Forces launched an anti-ship missile during exercises in Australia in 2023 and conducted a more complex launch last year, and in August the two countries' defence ministers said they were working to expand Japan's access to Australian test ranges.