Wilmington, Delaware : In a significant diplomatic engagement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, 2024. This meeting, marking their farewell interaction as Prime Minister Kishida nears the end of his term on October 1, highlighted the close bond between India and Japan and their shared commitment to bolstering a free and open Indo-Pacific. The two leaders took the opportunity to review the progress of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which is now in its 10th year. Prime Minister Modi expressed his gratitude for Kishida’s dedication and leadership, noting that the partnership between the two nations had strengthened significantly under his tenure. “I thank Prime Minister Kishida for his unwavering leadership in advancing our Special Strategic and Global Partnership,” said Modi, as he reflected on their fruitful collaborations over the years. The meeting came on the heels of the Quad Summit, a crucial diplomatic platform where India, Japan, the United States, and Australia coordinate their efforts to promote stability in the Indo-Pacific. Kishida underscored the importance of this alignment, stating, “A free and open international order based on the rule of law is under threat, and it is more important than ever for the Quad to demonstrate our firm commitment to this vision.”
As the two Prime Ministers discussed the future of India-Japan relations, defense and security cooperation emerged as key areas of focus. Both nations are looking to deepen these ties amid rising regional security challenges, especially concerning the Indo-Pacific, where their strategic interests closely align. Additionally, the leaders discussed enhancing business-to- business (B2B) collaborations and fostering stronger people-to-people (P2P) exchanges, aiming to strengthen the foundations of their already robust partnership. Reflecting on the decade of progress in India-Japan relations, Kishida expressed satisfaction with how far the two countries had come and shared his hopes for the future. He noted that his final foreign visit as Japan’s Prime Minister, coinciding with the Quad Summit, was a fitting conclusion to his efforts. “This meeting could not have been better suited for my last foreign visit as Prime Minister,” he said, pointing to the deepening ties that both nations continue to nurture. The Quad Summit itself, hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden, focused on advancing the strategic convergence among its four member countries. New maritime technologies and security collaborations were high on the agenda, reinforcing the group commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. As their meeting concluded, Prime Minister Modi extended his best wishes to Kishida for his future endeavors, marking a poignant end to a chapter in the India-Japan diplomatic journey. The farewell was not just for Kishida but also for President Biden, whose term ends in January 2025.
With both Kishida and Biden set to leave office soon, this Quad Summit carried an extra layer of significance, as leaders reaffirmed their commitment to long-term cooperation. As Kishida aptly put it, “The security environment has become increasingly severe, but through the Quad, we have consistently demonstrated our shared vision of peace and stability.” (Kartike Garg contributed inputs for this article)
