Bilateral talks between Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida begin

NEW DELHI: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday and held bilateral talks.

Kishida who arrived in the national capital early this morning on a two-day official visit visited Rajghat here and paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

The Japanese PM was recieved by Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar at the Palam airport. The leader's visit to the national capital is seen as a great opportunity to review bilateral ties between the two countries.

This is Kishida's second visit to the country as Prime Minister of Japan.

With Japan and India holding the presidencies of G7 and G20 respectively, the two leaders are expected to discuss what role Japan and India should play within the international community.

The visit of Kishida offers an important opportunity for both counties to engage on a bilateral level since the last Summit meeting between India and Japan took place in March 2022.

Later today, Kishida will deliver an address on a new plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. PM Shinzo Abe initially discussed Indo-Pacific cooperation on his trip to Delhi fifteen years ago.

"With regard to bilateral Japan-India relations, I want to confirm the further deepening of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan. I will also deliver an address in India on a new plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. I will clearly lay out my thinking regarding the role that a Free and Open Indo-Pacific will play at this historic turning point," Kishida said ahead of his departure.

Japan is a very close partner of India and both countries hold an Annual Summit and a 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting. Furthermore, the Defence cooperation between the two nations has also emerged as one of the key areas of engagement.

During his India visit, Kishida is expected to invite PM Narendra Modi to participate in the G7 in-person summit which is going to take place in Hiroshima in May.