"India, Japan Enjoy Special Strategic, Global Partnership": EAM Jaishankar In Tokyo

Lauding the ties between India and Japan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that both countries enjoy a "special strategic and global partnership" with the intent to meet the challenges facing the global order.

Addressing the Raisina Roundtable organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Tokyo on Thursday, Jaishankar noted how "new balances are being sorted and occasionally achieved."

"This session is about how India and Japan, who enjoy special a special strategic and global partnership, intend to meet the challenges facing the global order. There are many aspects to this subject...," Jaishankar said.

"...Whatever metrics we use, GDP, technology, influence or demography, the top 20 or 30 nations today are not what they were 2 decades ago...even less so, what they were 4 or 8 decades ago, not only are the countries that impact us different but...as a result, new balances are being sorted and occasionally achieved. This drives the volatility that we currently characterise the global order," he added.

The EAM said the overall balance should remain in favour of freedom, openness, and rules-based order.

"As to powers that are so central to multipolarity in Asia, it is also in our common interest that the overall balance remains in favour of the freedom, openness, transparency, and rules-based order," he said.

"The world will watch how we will support each other in the shared goal through various relationships and initiatives..." the EAM noted.

Jaishankar is notably on a visit to Japan from March 6-8. Before this, he visited South Korea, where he met the top leaders during his stay.

He is in Japan for the 16th India-Japan Foreign Minister's Strategic Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa.

The two ministers are expected to discuss issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, and exchange views on cooperation for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, according to MEA.

Meanwhile, at the roundtable, Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Board, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, too heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

"India, with the efforts of PM Modi's administration, in 2016 enactment of the bankruptcy law, in 2017, abolishment of... the indirect taxation system and introduction of GST and in 2020, the simplification of labour law. In Raisina dialogue, 2 weeks ago, I had a meeting with Ashwini Vaishnaw who is in charge of IT..." he said, while delivering his remarks at the event.

Whereas, Takeshi Niinami, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Suntory, a Japan-based global leader in consumer packaged goods underlined that Japanese countries are more interested in India in present times.

"Today, we Japanese countries are more interested in India...the never before, we are particularly excited by the prospect of a further growth in demand for not only infrastructure, semiconductors, tech, energy, but also consumer goods. Due to India's expansion of the middle class, this is amazing...consumption is so important for the economy...Needless to say, in that context, that product-linked incentive that India is currently promoting is motivating Japanese companies to expand our businesses in India," Niinami said. (ANI)