India and Japan have been in talks on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation . Both Asian countries have endured an uneasy relationship with China . Japan has long regarded India as a powerful counterweight to China 's strategic ambitions . Last month , India and Japan held their first bilateral naval exercise in Indian waters off the coast of Chennai , following on from a similar exercise in Japanese waters in June 2012 . Yet trade between China and Japan dwarfs that between Tokyo and India .
India and Japan have been in talks on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation . Both Asian countries have endured an uneasy relationship with China . Japan has long regarded India as a powerful counterweight to China 's strategic ambitions . Yet trade between China and Japan dwarfs that between Tokyo and India .