The foreign ministers of Japan and India agreed on Thursday to step up security and economic cooperation as the two Asian countries seek to strengthen ties in the face of China’s growing influence in the region.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, in a joint press conference after meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said the two countries would expand bilateral security cooperation, including in the areas of defense equipment and technology transfer. He said he had reconfirmed it.
He also said they agreed to explore the possibility of expanding cooperation into new areas of space and cybersecurity.
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Japan and India, members of the Quad group that also includes the United States and Australia, are rapidly strengthening bilateral ties amid shared concerns over China’s increasingly aggressive economic and military activities in the region. .
“India and Japan, as two major powers in the Indo-Pacific that share values, history, and interests, have a lasting stake in the peace, security, and prosperity of the region, and play a responsible role that meets the needs of the times. “We are ready to fulfill our mission,” said Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to Tokyo to meet with Japanese government and business officials.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (left) and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa shake hands during a meeting at the Iikura State Guest House in Tokyo, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hoshiko Eugene)
Noting the deteriorating security environment on the world stage where strategic relationships are rapidly changing and divisions and conflicts deepen, Kamikawa said Japan wants to work with India to resolve common issues through dialogue and cooperation. .
Mr. Kamikawa said, “Japan places particular importance on its relationship with India, which has cultivated its own democracy and history and represents the Global South.”
Prime Minister Abe stated, “Given today’s increasingly severe security environment, we confirmed the need for defense and security cooperation.”
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Both ministers welcomed the expansion of joint military exercises.
Jaishankar said the two countries will work together to strengthen economic security and supply chain resilience, and discussed cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, green technology and digital transformation.
Japan is also supporting India’s infrastructure development, and Mr. Kamikawa reaffirmed Tokyo’s continued support for high-speed rail projects.
