India-Japan Summit: Critical Minerals And Quad Strategy Top PM Modi’s Agenda In Tokyo

External Affairs Minister on Tuesday underlined the growing significance of the Quad partnership for both New Delhi and Tokyo, particularly in securing critical minerals, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to travel to Japan later this week, according to a report by Reuters. 

PM Modi will be in Tokyo from August 29–30 for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, where he will hold wide-ranging talks with his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba. The discussions are expected to cover security, defence cooperation, ship maintenance, and space collaboration, alongside the broader role of the Quad grouping, as per the report by the aforementioned wure agency

Formed by India, Japan, Australia, and the United States, the Quad has increasingly aligned its agenda around regional stability in the Indo-Pacific and supply-chain resilience. Last month, the four nations announced a joint initiative on critical minerals, a move aimed at reducing dependence on Beijing, which dominates the global market in this sector.

“Quad is indeed an important platform for advancing peace, stability, prosperity and development in the Indo-Pacific region,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. “In recent years, its scope has widened to include practical cooperation on shared challenges.”

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India is slated to host the Quad leaders’ summit later this year, even as New Delhi navigates friction with Washington over US tariffs on Indian exports imposed by President Donald Trump.

After his Japan visit, Modi will head to the Chinese port city of Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on August 31–September 1. This will be his first trip to China in over seven years, coming at a time when both sides are exploring ways to stabilise ties following the deadly 2020 border clash in Ladakh.

The SCO meet is expected to see participation from over 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Originally established as a security bloc of six Eurasian nations, the organisation has since grown into a 10-member body with expanded dialogue partners and a broader remit that now includes economic and military cooperation.