New Delhi [India], July 5 : Rajya Sabha MP and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday described Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent official visit to India as a major step forward in bilateral ties, particularly in the strategic and defence sectors.
Speaking to ANI following her visit, Shringla said the visit marked significant progress in India-Japan strategic cooperation, highlighting the agreement on co-development in the defence industry.
"When you talk about her visit in strategic terms, I think it is very important because we have been able to take that one step forward. What we have done is that we have also signed an agreement that provides for the co-development of defence industries. We will be working with Japan on naval hardware and technology. Japan has a lot of expertise in stealth naval radar antennas," he said.
Shringla further stated that the decision to institutionalise a 2+2 dialogue between the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries is a "very significant development", noting that India and Japan already conduct joint military exercises.
"They have a lot of expertise in metallurgy and electronics and advanced manufacturing systems, and I think this joint co-development will be a very mutually beneficial initiative. We also have taken a decision to have, for the first time, a 2+2 dialogue of the foreign and defence ministers," he said.
"This is a very significant development. We already have joint exercises with Japan," Shringla added.
Highlighting the economic outcomes of the visit, he said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Takaichi attended the India-Japan Joint Business Forum, where major investment commitments and agreements were announced.
"Economically also, her visit was significant. Both the Prime Ministers attended the India-Japan Joint Business Forum. There was an announcement of a USD 12.5 billion investment. I believe 129 MoUs were signed, including one which calls for a resilient economic partnership and the supply chains that have to be more resilient between India and Japan in the context of over-dependency on certain sources of our equipment and technology. At the same time, both have a shared vision for the Indo-Pacific," Shringla said.
Takaichi was on a three-day official visit to India from July 1 to July 3 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, during which she participated in the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, where both leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.