BHARAT AND JAPAN VOW TO ENHANCE DEFENCE, TRADE AND INDO-PACIFIC COOPERATION

Sendai - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited a semiconductor plant in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. During this, Modi was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba. The Prime Ministers of both the countries traveled from Tokyo to Sendai by bullet train. Modi arrived in Tokyo on Friday on a two-day visit.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the governors of 16 provinces of Japan in Tokyo on Saturday and called for strengthening 'state-province cooperation' under the Bharat-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) gave this information in a statement. The Prime Minister wrote on the social media platform 'X', "Interacted with the governors of 16 provinces of Japan this morning in Tokyo.

State-province cooperation is an important pillar of Bharat-Japan friendship. This is why a separate initiative was taken on this during the 15th Annual Bharat-Japan Summit yesterday." He said, "There are immense possibilities of cooperation in the areas of trade, innovation, entrepreneurship etc. Future-oriented areas like 'startup', technology and AI (artificial intelligence) can also be beneficial. "

Bharat and Japan on Friday unveiled a comprehensive framework to enhance their defence cooperation to meet contemporary security challenges in the face of Beijing's growing muscle flexing in the East and South China Seas. The new framework was announced after the summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo.

The talks focused on significantly expanding the "special strategic and global partnership" between the two countries. Under the framework, the two sides also resolved to explore possibilities of co-development and co-production of military equipment and technology for current and future security needs.

According to the joint statement, in the talks, Modi and Ishiba resolved to maintain the international order based on the rule of law and reiterated their firm commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, which is peaceful, prosperous and resilient. According to the statement, both the leaders welcomed the emergence of the four-nation Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) as an important and permanent regional group and looked forward to the next summit of the group to be held in India later this year.

The statement said that Modi and Ishiba expressed serious concern over the situation in the East and South China Sea. It said, "Both the leaders reiterated strong opposition to any unilateral action that endangers security as well as freedom of navigation and overflight, and attempts to change the status quo through force or pressure." According to the statement, "Modi and Ishiba expressed serious concern over the militarization of disputed areas.

They stressed that maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." In a statement issued to the media, Modi said that both sides have common interests in the field of defense and maritime security. He said, "We have jointly decided to further strengthen our cooperation in the field of defense industry and innovation."

Under the new framework of defense cooperation, Bharat and Japan have decided to contribute to each other's defense capabilities by promoting interoperability and synergy between their defense forces. The two sides have decided to explore the possibility of joint exercises between the three armies and consider partnerships between their special operations units.

The framework also calls for increasing the use of the Bharat-Japan Agreement on Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services as part of broader efforts to enhance strategic cooperation. It also provides for measures to promote naval and coast guard cooperation to advance shared maritime security goals and a peaceful maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region.

Under the framework, Bharat and Japan have also pledged to enhance cooperation to combat terrorism, extremist extremism and organized international crimes by sharing intelligence and experience. The two countries have also agreed to increase the use of their respective space systems for national security, satellite-based navigation, earth observation and other mutually decided areas in the space sector.

A joint statement on the Modi-Ishiba talks said the two leaders acknowledged ongoing cooperation in the field of defence equipment and technology cooperation. According to the statement, Modi and Ishiba directed the relevant authorities on both sides to accelerate efforts to achieve "concrete results" through bilateral cooperation, and identify specific areas for future cooperation to effectively support the operational visions of both sides.