New Delhi -- Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force and the Indian army began their Dharma Guardian joint antiterror exercises, the third of their kind, at military training facilities in Belgaum, western India, on Sunday.

Dharma Guardian started in 2018. The ongoing drills, including the first-ever exercise assuming street fighting, will run until March 10.

Japan's Air and Maritime SDF as well as the GSDF have been conducting joint exercises with the Indian military in recent years under the free and open Indo-Pacific concept, with China, which is increasingly assertive in the region, in mind.

The GSDF and the Indian army have so far conducted drills mainly in jungles. This time, they will focus on exercises using facilities assuming street fighting and fighting indoors, with participating troops dropping from helicopters to attack enemies.

Participating from the GSDF are about 40 troops from the 30th Infantry Regiment in the city of Shibata, Niigata Prefecture, central Japan. They flew to India aboard a transport aircraft belonging to the ASDF's Miho air base in the city of Sakai, Tottori Prefecture, western Japan.