“India & Japan Are Two Indispensable Partners”, Says Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida

With an aim of boosting relations between Japan and India, the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida is on a visit to India. The main motto of the visit is to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, a Tokyo-led initiative for greater security and economic cooperation.

It comprises Japan’s support for marine security, the provision of equipment and boats for the coast guard’s patrol boats, as well as other infrastructural cooperation. Tokyo Japan’s new national security strategy, which was established in December also backs the initiative really well.  It calls for the deployment of long-range cruise missiles to increase its ability to strike back and the strategic use of development aid to support like-minded nations.

India holds a great place in the region geographically, also it is going to hold the G20 summit this year.  Japan is going to head the G7 meeting. So, both these Asian nations have to come together to build better relations both economically and politically.

Official statements regarding the visit

As per the official Twitter handle of the Japan PMO, “This year, Japan holds the G7 presidency while India chairs the G20. Prime Minister Modi and I will exchange views on the role our two countries should play as we work to resolve mounting international challenges.”

The Prime minister’s office also added, “I also intend to further strengthen the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan. In addition, during my stay in India, I will announce a new plan related to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). I will set out in concrete terms my thinking regarding how the future should look for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, which is at a historic turning point.”

In a press briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Japan is a “very important partner”, and he stressed that India looks forward to the exchange of views.

“We look forward to the visit of the honorable Prime Minister of Japan that’s on Monday. As you know, Japan is our very important partner. We have annual summits with them and this is part of that. They are also partners in plurilateral and multilateral constructs so we look forward to a rich discussion. We look forward to the exchange of views,” the MEA spokesperson had said.

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Japan and India coming together

Fumio Kishida initiated his visit by paying his regards to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Following that, he went to the Buddha memorial park situated in Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan where a golden statue of the Buddha stands tall to symbolize the gratitude of the Tibetan people.

Apart from the relations building and geo-political discourse, the Japanese PM also had a bite of Indian culture. He tried the famous Indian snack ‘Gol-Gappa’ along with ‘lassi’ while on a visit to Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi. Later he even tried his hands on ‘lassi’. The PM also tasted other Indian delicacies during his visit. Kishida termed India as an “indispensable partner” of Japan. Also, he stated that he is looking forward to unveiling further relations between the two nations.