Japanese Prime Minister to announce new Indo-Pacific plan in India

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday said he was ready to announce a new plan to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region, during a visit to India.

Speaking to reporters alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Kishida said he would unveil his new vision later in the day “on the soil of India, which is our indispensable partner in realizing” regional freedom and security.

Kishida’s two-day visit to India comes against a backdrop of growing Chinese influence across the region. The Japanese leader also formally invited Modi to attend the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May.

Modi accepted, and noted that he would be welcoming Kishida again when India hosts the Group of 20 leaders summit in September.

For his part, Modi said the meeting was special because India is leading the G-20 while Japan is chairing the G-7 this year.

“That’s why it’s the best opportunity to work on our respective priorities,” he said, adding that an important pillar of India’s G-20 presidency is to give a voice to the Global South — a collective term for less developed nations that feel their interests have often been neglected on the international stage.

Modi added that the India-Japan partnership is based on common democratic values and respect for the rule of law. “Strengthening this partnership is not only important for our two countries but it also promotes peace, prosperity and stability in Indo-Pacific,” he said in Hindi.

The two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in fields such as defense equipment, trade, health and the digital economy, along with forming supply chains for semiconductors and other items critical for developing advanced technologies.

Talking about Japan’s G-7 goals, Kishida stressed the need to uphold an international order based on the rule of law, while strengthening ties in the international community, “including countries from what is called the Global South.”

Speaking in Japanese, he said Modi shared his thoughts on areas such as development finance, food security and green energy during their one-on-one meeting.

Modi and Kishida both referred to a 5 trillion yen ($38.7 billion) Japanese investment target in India over a five-year period, announced during the Japanese leader’s visit in March last year. “It is a matter of satisfaction that there has been a good progress in this direction,” Modi said.

Economic cooperation with India continues to grow rapidly, which will “not only support further development of India but also create significant opportunities for Japan,” Kishida said.

Modi added, “We are also making rapid progress on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail project” in India’s west, which is being built with the Japanese assistance.