Japan, India to conduct 1st fighter jet drill at early date

The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and India agreed Thursday to seek to hold their first joint fighter jet drill at an early date as they are struggling to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific amid China's growing maritime assertiveness in the region.In a joint statement issued after the "two-plus-two" security talks in Tokyo, the four ministers underscored that the Indo-Pacific should be "based on the rule of law and free from coercion," expressing opposition to any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo in the region.Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Ya…READ FULL ARTICLE