Defence Min Rajnath Singh, EAM S Jaishankar meet Japanese PM in Tokyo day after 2+2 meet

Union Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, called on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the conclusion of the 2+2 meeting between the two nations on Friday, September 9. Taking to Twitter, Jaishnakar affirmed his confidence that the objective outlined by the Japanese PM and PM Narendra Modi will be realised shortly.

"Pleased to call on PM Fumio Kishida at the conclusion of our 2+2 meeting. Underlined the importance of closer coordination of policies and interests of India and Japan at this time," EAM Jaishankar tweeted. In a subsequent tweet, the Minister added, "Expressed confidence that the vision which he and PM @narendramodi have articulated will be realised early."

India & Japan hold second 2+2 ministerial meeting

The second 2+2 ministerial was held on September 8 between Japan's and India's Defence and Foreign Ministries. They talked about matters of shared interest and concern on a regional and international scale, notably those pertaining to the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine. Defence Minister Singh and EAM Jaishankar met with their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defence Minister Hamada Yasukazu.

The meeting included a discussion on the advancement of defence cooperation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the two sides reiterated their commitment to a rules-based global order that respects nations' sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The Ministers had a frank and fruitful discussion on the regional and global issues of mutual interests and concerns, particularly those in the Indo-Pacific as well as Ukraine. The Ministers strongly reaffirmed what their Prime Ministers recently committed to in their Joint Statement of March 19 with respect to regional and global security challenges," the joint statement read.

Recognizing Japan's desire to strengthen its defence capabilities, the Indian side reiterated its support for increased security and defence cooperation. The Ministers welcomed the progress made in bilateral security and defence cooperation since their last meeting in November 2019, which is an essential pillar of India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

Recognizing the importance of multilayered discussions between two countries, they looked forward to conducting dialogues as soon as possible in areas such as Security Council reform in order to strengthen the functioning of the UN as a whole. They also recognised the significance of expanding debates on economic security. The Ministers recognised the tremendous potential for the two nations to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as defence equipment and technological collaboration.

Image: Twitter@DrSJaishankar