Japan and India will hold a 2-plus-2 foreign and defense ministerial meeting in Tokyo in late April, government sources said. The ministers are expected to agree on strengthened cooperation to realize a "free and open Indo-Pacific," eyeing China's increasing hegemonic moves.
The ministerial meeting is aimed at confirming the two countries' cooperation on security ahead of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's visit to India, being arranged for the end of April.
The 2-plus-2 meeting is likely to take place on April 24 or 25. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi are expected to attend from Japan, while the attendance of External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is expected from the Indian side.
It will be the Japan and India's second 2-plus-2 meeting, following the first held in November 2019.
Chinese maritime patrol vessels have repeatedly intruded into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. India, on the other hand, has a border dispute with China.
With China in mind, Japan and India have been strengthening their security ties. In 2020, the two governments signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which enables the Self-Defense Forces and Indian armed forces to mutually provide food, fuel and other supplies.
At the 2-plus-2, the ministers are expected to agree on the expansion of joint exercises by the SDF and Indian armed forces, cooperation on technology for defense and other equipment, and further exchanges of personnel in the defense sector.
The Japanese government is placing importance on the Quad framework of Japan, Australia, India and the United States to counter China.
However, India is cautious about being part of the bloc against China, as it has historically held on to a non-alliance principle. The Japanese government hopes to obtain strengthened cooperation from India through the 2-plus-2 meeting.
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