<br/><br/>Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba is on a five-day visit to Japan from tomorrow. The visit is with the the objective to consolidate existing Maritime Cooperation initiatives as well as explore new avenues. <br/><br/>During the visit, Admiral Lanba is scheduled to hold discussions with Chief of Staff, Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, Minister of State for Defence, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff besides other Senior Dignitaries and Naval Officers. An official release said, defence cooperation between India and Japan is robust and is primarily emphasised towards Maritime Cooperation.<br/><br/> Bilateral defence cooperation was institutionalized with commencement of the India-Japan Comprehensive Security Dialogue which was initiated in 2001. <br/><br/>India and Japan share similar maritime challenges such as long coastline, extensive exclusive economic zone, coastal security, wherein both navies have opportunities to learn from each other's experiences. <br/>