India, Japan can be two pillars of a secure region: PM Modi in op-ed

TOKYO: India and Japan will contribute towards building an open, free and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, connected by secure seas, integrated by trade and investment, defined by respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity and anchored in international law, PM Narendra Modi said in an op-ed published in a leading Japanese newspaper on Monday.
“As two democracies, strategically located in the Indo-Pacific region, we can be important pillars of a stable and secure region. That is why our partnership is expanding across a broad range of areas,” he wrote in the op-ed titled ‘India-Japan: A Partnership for Peace, Stability and Prosperity’ in Yomiuri Shimbunhe.
“Our defence ties are growing rapidly, from exercises and information exchanges to defence manufacturing. We are doing more in cyber, space and underwater domains,” PM said.
“Besides security, together and with like-minded partners in the region and beyond, in institutions and arrangements like Quad, we are promoting initiatives for development, infrastructure, connectivity, sustainability, health, vaccines, capacity building and humanitarian disaster response in the Indo-Pacific region,” Modi said.
“Special. Strategic. Global. Each of these three words that describe the India-Japan partnership has a unique significance, yet they fall well short of the true potential of our ties,” Modi said.