India, Japan work on new framework of security cooperation

Noting that a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific is the top priority for India and Japan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the 2+2 meeting between the two countries explored the possibility of coordinating their security and development assistance and that they had agreed to task their officials with preparing a new framework for security cooperation.

In his press statement after the third 2+2 India-Japan Ministerial Meeting, Jaishankar said India and Japan are resolute in their opposition to terrorism, including cross-border terrorism.

He announced that India will open a new Consulate in the city of Fukuoka.

Jaishankar said the "regional and global environment around us" has evolved considerably since the last 2+2 meeting in Tokyo two years ago.

"There is further complexity and volatility in the Indo-Pacific region and the world at large. Our economic landscape is also more complex, making transparency, predictability and resilience an essential part of our security. The world of technology may present new opportunities but they have also thrown up new challenges. Our 2+2 dialogue today was an occasion to share assessments and agree on cooperation in this regard," he said.

"A free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific is the top priority for both our countries. We explored the possibility of coordinating our respective security and development assistance where our interests converge," he added.

Defence Minister of Japan Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa took part in the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting held here. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also took part in the meeting.

Jaishankar said the two sides discussed the unfolding new avenues for technology, research and industrial cooperation between the two countries.

The minister urged his Japan counterpart to look at the regulatory bottlenecks and called for progress in approaches to technology sharing.

"The growth of technology also necessitates human resource cooperation, semiconductors being a very good example. This is crucial for our diversification and de-risking efforts, for our economic and technology security overall and for sustained economic resilience of the world. We are also considering a dialogue that will seek to give shape to these common objectives," Jaishankar said.

"Such trust-based collaboration in emerging technologies, including in the field of defence, will progress best when our approaches to technology sharing evolve. To this end, I requested our Japanese colleagues to look into the regulatory bottlenecks that currently exist," he added.

The minister said the two sides discussed strengthening our capacity-building cooperation, including on dealing with challenges emanating in the cyber space and through the misuse of digital technologies. "We have underlined our interest in deepening information-sharing, and cooperation for protection of critical information infrastructure."

He appreciated Japan Foreign Minister Kamikawa's determined effort to highlight the role of women in peace and security.

"India is the very first country to operationalize the UN Security Council Resolution 1325. I am happy to announce that we will be holding a first-ever UN Peacekeeping for Women Officers of the Global South Conference in the first half of 2025. Given Foreign Minister Kamikawa's leadership on this matter, I extended a special invitation to Japan to join this Conference," he said.

Jaishankar said that as members of the G4, India and Japan have been in the forefront of the advocacy for reformed multilateralism. "In the meeting today with Foreign Minister Kamikawa, I took stock of the current efforts on reform of the UN Security Council and underlined the need for our united effort."

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership, Jaishankar said bilateral relations have matured since then.

"We agreed today to task our officials with preparing a new framework for security cooperation. I also shared our desire for a new vision for our overall partnership that orients our relations in line with our evolving national goals and priorities."

He lauded Japan's involvement in the development of the North-East region of India through the India-Japan Act East Forum and requested Foreign Minister Kamikawa for her continued support.

The two sides also discussed progressing the High Speed railway cooperation.

"Our strategic partnership needs to be anchored in more robust people-to-people engagement. We discussed expanding the flow of skills and talents, as also of students and tourists. Policy changes to enable this are a priority," Jaishankar said.

"I am happy to share with you that in order to nurture our growing people-to-people ties, we will open a new Consulate in the city of Fukuoka. I requested Foreign Minister Kamikawa for her support to make this Consulate operational at an early date," he added.

Jaishankar said that the meetings today were "truly productive and forward-looking".

"The discussions at the 2+2 meeting have paved the way for a robust agenda of cooperation on cross-cutting defence and foreign policy issues," he said.

(ANI)