When Prime Minister Fumio Kishida travels to New Delhi next week for a bilateral summit with Indian leader Narendra Modi, the war in Ukraine and China’s growing regional assertiveness will be key drivers of their conversation, as the Japanese leader looks to bolster Tokyo’s efforts to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Kishida will visit India from Sunday to Wednesday, with a key speech on Japan’s regional policy and a bilateral summit with Modi planned for Monday. The two leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to building a free and open Indo-Pacific by beefing up security ties as a counter to an increasingly assertive China.
The talks will cover “a range of issues” as the leaders look to further deepen the India-Japan strategic partnership, the government’s top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, said ahead of Kishdia’s trip.