New Delhi, Dec 7 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar discussed the evolving world order and the imperative of India-Japan cooperation at the opening session of the India-Japan Forum here on Sunday.

“Pleased to participate in the opening session of #IndiaJapanForum in New Delhi. Discussed the evolving world order and the imperative of deeper India-Japan cooperation”, EAM Jaishankar said on X.

According to an official statement, the India-Japan Forum provides a platform for Indian and Japanese leaders to shape the future of bilateral and strategic partnerships through deliberation and collaboration. The Ananta Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have convened the forum.

“The aim of the forum is to bolster cooperation, leverage opportunities, exchange ideas, build mutual trust and develop a joint agenda for future cooperation,” it said.

On Friday, India’s Ambassador-designate to Japan, Nagma M. Mallick, held a meeting with Japan’s Minister of Environment, Ishihara Hirotaka, discussing opportunities for collaboration between the two nations.

On November 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg and discussed ways to add momentum to bilateral cooperation in sectors like innovation, defence, and talent mobility.

On October 27, EAM Jaishankar met with his Japanese counterpart, Motegi Toshimitsu, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, as both discussed expanding bilateral ties and agreed to work closely to implement the joint vision for the next decade of India-Japan cooperation.

India-Japan relations were elevated to a ‘Global Partnership’ in 2000, a ‘Strategic and Global Partnership’ in 2006, and a ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ in 2014, according to the MEA. The defence and security partnership forms an integral pillar of India-Japan bilateral ties. In recent years, the defence exchanges have gained strength due to growing convergence on strategic matters, and their significance is growing from the common outlook on issues of peace, security and stability of the Indo-Pacific Region.

–IANS

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