New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday reaffirmed that ‘’the India-Japan partnership, which has deepened greatly over the past few decades, holds greater value than ever before’’.

While speaking at a forum on Indo-Pacific cooperation, Jaishankar emphasised that ‘’maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific is now both a stronger imperative and a more complex challenge’’.

He also noted that ‘’India-Japan bilateral relationship continues to evolve in response to global changes, with expanding collaboration across multiple sectors.

The minister further said that,‘’ Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan in August set the tone for the next decade of cooperation, outlining eight priority pillars and an ambitious investment target of 10 trillion yen over ten years.’’

The minister also highlights several emerging initiatives shaping the contemporary agenda, including the ‘’Next Generation Mobility Partnership, the ‘Economic Security Initiative, the Joint Crediting Mechanism, the Joint Declaration on Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia, and a ‘Memorandum of Understanding in Mineral Resources’’.

‘’As two major democracies and maritime nations, India and Japan share a “larger responsibility” in ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific. Japan’s leadership in the Maritime Trade, Transport and Connectivity pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative was highlighted as a key contribution to regional cooperation,’’ he added

Recounting his recent meeting with Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu at the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur “Both sides agreed to conduct a more detailed review of ongoing initiatives soon,’’ he said.