New Delhi, Aug. 20 -- India and Japan on Thursday signed a memorandum of arrangement to deepen maritime security cooperation, focusing on closer ties between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force-the latest in a series of steps to bolster bilateral military ties-during talks between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in Delhi.

"The arrangement provides a framework for information sharing in the field of maritime domain awareness (MDA), and enhanced cooperation in areas such as search and rescue (SAR) and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR)," the two sides announced in a joint statement.

The two ministers also agreed to advance reciprocal access to ship-repair f...