Looking to advance its push for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific and counter Chinese influence Japan sent its defense minister Sunday on a trip to India and Sri Lanka.
Itsunori Onodera first stops in India to meet with counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman and make a courtesy call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In Sri Lanka, Onodera will meet with President Maithripala Sirisena on Japanese assistance to the navy. This marks the first-ever trip by a Japanese defense minister to the country.
Onodera plans to visit Sri Lanka's Hambantota port, which is under a 99-year lease to a Chinese operator. Beijing has expanded its influence in the Indian Ocean area as part of its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative -- a trend Japan hopes to curb through greater security cooperation in the region.
The Committee on High Posts has approved the nomination of Former Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal (Retd.)
Former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, arrested on allegation of corruption by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has been remanded until July 1 by the Colombo Magistrate court.
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