Japan-India Relations

October 8, 2021
Japanese

　On October 8, commencing at 5:15 p.m. for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit telephone talk with H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. The overview of the talk is as follows.

  1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida thanked Prime Minister Modi for his tweet of congratulations immediately after Prime Minister Kishida’s taking office, and stated that it was a pleasure to speak with Prime Minister Modi again after having met in Tokyo and Delhi since the time he was Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. Prime Minister Kishida added that the partnership between Japan and India, which share basic values, has made a significant progress in recent years, based on the relationship of trust with Prime Minister Modi. In response, Prime Minister Modi again offered his congratulations to Prime Minister Kishida on his assumption of office. The two leaders concurred to further develop Japan-India relations and to work closely toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”
  2. Looking ahead to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and India next year, the two leaders decided to elevate the “Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership” to greater heights by promoting cooperation in a wide range of areas, including political and security issues, economy, economic cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges. Both leaders confirmed that resuming their annual mutual visits is of particular importance. Both leaders also confirmed, among other things, that the two countries would coordinate to hold the next round of Japan-India Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting at an early date, promote cooperation in areas such as green technology, digital, healthcare, enhancing connectivity and personnel exchanges under the system of Specified Skilled Worker, and steadily advance the construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, which is a Japan-India flagship project.
  3. The two leaders affirmed to work toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” not only through bilateral coopeartion but also through quadrilateral cooperation involving Australia and the U.S. In this connection, both leaders shared their strong opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and to economic coercion, while confirming that the two countries would deepen cooperation on economic security such as through resilience of supply chains.
  4. The two leaders discussed North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missle issues, and Prime Minister Kishida requested understanding and support towards the early resolution of the abductions issue.The two leaders also shared the view to work together on global challenges such as response to COVID-19.
  5. The two leaders decided to realize Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to India at an appropriate timing that is convenient for both sides.

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