India-Japan Ties Key to Indo-Pacific Stability: Jaishankar

• EAM S. Jaishankar says India-Japan partnership boosts Indo-Pacific stability and global economic growth.
• Calls for stronger focus on supply chains, AI, semiconductors, clean energy, and space.
• Highlights PM Modi’s call to Japan’s new PM Sanae Takaichi as proof of strategic priority.
• Notes ongoing initiatives in mobility, economic security, and human resource cooperation.

GG New Bureau
New Delhi, 6th Nov: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday underscored that the India-Japan partnership enhances strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific region and supports economic growth globally.

Speaking at the India-Japan Indo-Pacific Forum organised by the Delhi Policy Group and the Japan Institute of International Affairs, Jaishankar said that maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific” is an increasingly critical yet complex challenge.

“Our partnership that has deepened so much in the last few decades has greater value than ever before. It serves to enhance strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and contribute to the economic one at a global level,” Jaishankar said.

He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent phone conversation with Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, right after she assumed office, reflected the high priority both nations accord to their partnership.

Looking ahead, the minister emphasized leveraging mutual strengths in building resilient supply chains and investing in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy, critical minerals, and space.

“As two major democracies and maritime nations, India and Japan have a larger responsibility towards the Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar stated, adding that Japan’s co-leadership in the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative under the maritime trade and connectivity pillar demonstrates shared commitment to regional progress.

He also highlighted several new areas of cooperation, including the Next Generation Mobility Partnership, Economic Security Initiative, Joint Crediting Mechanism, and Joint Declaration on Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia. An MoU in the field of mineral resources further reflects the evolving depth of engagement.

Jaishankar said people-to-people exchanges will gain momentum through the Action Plan for Human Resource Cooperation and Exchange, fostering a deeper understanding at the societal level.

“Together, all these initiatives reaffirm the strategic and comprehensive nature of our ties,” he concluded.