India and Japan will tomorrow hold their maiden dialogue of senior officials to enhance strategic cooperation between the two countries in Tokyo. This comes close on the heels path breaking talks on civil nuclear negotiations. The Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar will hold talks with Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae and Vice Minister for Defence Kimito Nakae on a wide range of strategic and defence issues.<br/><br/>The 2+2 dialogue was announced during then Japanese rime minister Yukio Hatoyama's visit to India in December last. Besides India, Japan has such a dialogue framework with only the US and Australia. This brings to the fore the growing importance of New Delhi in Tokyo's strategic calculus. <br/><br/>Our correspondent reports that the two sides are looking at expanding cooperation in counter-terrorism and maritime security to give more strategic heft to the relationship, said reliable sources. <br/><br/>The two countries will also hold their foreign office consultations that will focus on the larger strategic canvas of their relationship and includes an exchange of views on a wide array of regional and international issues. Japan had supported consensus for India in the Nuclear Suppliers Group in September 2008, albeit reluctantly. <br/><br/>However, with India signing bilateral nuclear pacts with nine countries, including the US, Russia, France and Canada, Japanese companies are keen to have civil nuclear cooperation with India.