The foreign ministers of Japan and India pledged Thursday to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, a vision advocated by Japan and like-minded countries amid China's growing clout in the region.
During their meeting in New Delhi, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also agreed to deepen bilateral security cooperation including defense equipment and technology transfers, the Foreign Ministry said.
The bilateral talks came as Tokyo focuses on ramping up its relations with emerging and developing economies collectively dubbed the Global South, with India widely viewed as a leading power among them.