Today, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa co-chaired the 16th India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo, marking a significant milestone in bilateral relations. The meeting underscored the steady progress achieved in various domains and explored new avenues of expansion, with a particular focus on emerging technologies.
Expressing satisfaction with the evolving partnership, both ministers emphasized the importance of the Indo-Japan relationship in promoting stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. They appreciated the role of their ties in addressing global challenges and exchanged views on the international situation, noting its usefulness in shaping future cooperation.
According to the Japan’s Foreign Ministry release, the two Ministers held a candid exchange of views on regional affairs, including the situations in East Asia, South Asia, and Ukraine, and concurred to work closely together, including on the response to North Korea on the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue.
They also exchanged views on various issues facing the international community, including United Nations (UN) Security Council reform and cooperation with the “Global South”, and confirmed to work together to advance global governance reform, including UN reform, and address global issues.
Further, the two Ministers also confirmed to enhance initiatives for people-to-people exchanges. Specifically, they concurred to extend the “Japan-India tourism exchange year” being implemented in FY2023 to the next fiscal year.
Meanwhile, ahead of the meet, delivering an opening remark, Dr. Jaishankar speaking of the India-Japan ties said,”The year 2023 was a landmark in our bilateral relationship. We have seen G2G, B2B, and people-to-people exchanges across diverse sectors. Most notably, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Kishida have met thrice – in Delhi in March, and later at the G7 in Hiroshima and the G20 in New Delhi.”
“2024 is another milestone year for our relationship, as we mark 10 years of our Special Strategic and Global Partnership. We should explore new ways to give new momentum to our partnership by adding new areas and deepening existing cooperation. I take the opportunity to also appreciate Japan’s cooperation for a successful G20 presidency that we had last year,” he added.
