Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in New Delhi Monday morning to explore ways to boost bilateral ties in a range of areas, including defence and security, trade and investment, and high technologies.
In their talks later in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Kishida are also set to discuss priorities for India’s presidency of G20 and Japan’s presidency of the G7.
The Japanese prime minister is expected to unveil his plan for a “free and open Indo-Pacific” with a focus on India’s increasingly significant role for the region during the visit. The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military assertiveness is also likely to figure in the wide-ranging talks between PM Modi and PM Kishida.
The Japanese prime minister’s visit is expected to last around 27 hours. He is expected to unveil his ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Plan for Peace’ during a lecture at a leading think-tank in the afternoon.
The plan is expected to highlight India’s significance for the Indo-Pacific. Delivering the prestigious Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June last year, PM Kishida said he would lay out the plan for Indo-Pacific next spring.
“I will lay out a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Plan for Peace’ by next spring which will strengthen Japan’s efforts to further promote the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, with an emphasis on providing patrol vessels and enhancing maritime law enforcement capabilities, as well as cyber security, digital and green initiatives, and economic security,” he had said.
The plan is expected to provide details of Japan’s policy and approach towards the Indo-Pacific.
In the last few years, almost all leading powers have come out with their strategies for the Indo-Pacific.
Japan has been pushing for a free and open Indo-Pacific with a view to maintaining and strengthening the rules-based international order in the region.