India and Japan have recently held a ‘2+2’ dialogue in New Delhi, in which Foreign Ministers– S Jaishankar and Yoko Kamikaba- and Defence Ministers– Rajnath Singh and Kihara Minoru- participated. The leaders stressed strengthening the partnership between the two countries.
The ‘2+2’ dialogue with Japan was started to strengthen bilateral security and defence cooperation. Additionally, it was aimed at deepening special strategic and global partnership between the two nations.
Key highlights
- The leaders agreed to a free, open, and rule-based Indo-Pacific to counter the rising Chinese military influence in the region.
- India stressed technology transfer and advocated the removal of regulatory bottlenecks that affect crucial technology sharing between the two countries.
- The countries also agreed to prepare a new structure for security collaboration. This will help improve strategic ties in the defence sector. Moreover, the countries reaffirmed their commitment to work together for regional peace and prosperity. They also condemned terrorist activities across the globe and called for combined actions against all UN-listed terrorist outfits, such as AI Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (Let), and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
- The ministers also welcomed the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force to discover the possibilities of future collaboration in the field of ship maintenance in India.
- The successful cooperation in the field of Unmanned Ground Vehicle/Robotics and the consistent progress towards the transfer of the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) were recognised as testimony of the dedicated efforts from both countries to strengthen ties. UNICORN will be installed on Indian naval ships.
- The Indian Foreign Minister revealed India’s plan to establish a new consulate in Fukuoka, Japan, that will further boost dialogues between the two countries.
About 2+2 dialogue
- ‘2+2’ dialogue is a ministerial-level discussion forum in which partner countries are represented by the top officials in the Foreign and Defence portfolio, primarily Ministers.
- It empowers nations to better understand their partner and their strengths, which ultimately facilitates cooperation in different fields, particularly defence and foreign affairs.
- Moreover, the ‘2+2’ dialogue promotes discussions on relevant regional issues and concerns, which is critical in today’s dynamically evolving global geopolitical situation.
- India holds ‘2+2’ dialogues with the US, the UK, Russia, Australia, and Japan. The US is the oldest ‘2+2’ partner of India; the first dialogue took place in 2018.
