On his recent visit to India, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi called India, an “indispensable” partner in achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific. He added that Japan intends to deepen cooperation with New Delhi in all areas to expand the special strategic and global partnership between the two sides.
Speaking at the India-Japan Forum, convened by Ananta Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on July 27 in New Delhi, Hayashi complimented India’s focus on the Global South. He said the call for upholding the free and rules-based international order may sound like a mere slogan unless there was adequate commitment to address the challenges facing the developing countries.
In his remarks at the event, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar elaborated on Japan’s support to various sectors in India and identified the semiconductor sector as one of the potential areas for cooperation.
In his opening remarks, Hayashi said there has been progress on India-Japan initiatives in new sectors such as cyber and space, adding discussions toward the realisation of “substantial cooperation” in the areas of defence equipment and technology are underway. “The free and open international order based on the rule of law is the key to realising such a world,” he said.
Elaborating on the concept, Mr Hayashi said “free” means each country is free to make decisions based on its own sovereignty and “open” means respect for principles including inclusiveness, openness, and diversity.
