PM Modi, Japan PM Hold Bilateral Meeting On Sidelines Of G20 Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Miniser Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of G20 summit being hosted under India's presidency this year.

The meeting was held at the G20 summit venue, Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan.

Fumio Kishida arrived in the national capital yesterday to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit.

At the G20 summit in India, Fumio Kishida plans to show Japan's stance of proactively contributing to various global issues, based on the results of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, Japanese media reported.

"The agenda in India will include global food security, which has been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as development, digital transformation and other international issues," according to NHK.

Earlier this May, PM Modi had met with his Japanese counterpart in Hiroshima at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima.

The cooperation between India and Japan continues to deepen over time as the two nations share historical linkages with exchanges between the two countries being traced to the 6th century when Buddhism was introduced in Japan.

As both nations deal with the challenges provided by an aggressive China in the Asian region, India's political ties to Japan have grown significantly over the past few decades.

In the lead-up to both the G20 and G7 summits, the visit of Japanese PM Fumio Kishida to India in March bolstered further commitment between the two countries to work together for the realisation of a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific".

India and Japan have already developed various frameworks of security partnership including a '2+2' Dialogue involving Foreign and Defence ministers. The two countries regularly participate in joint military exercises such as the Malabar Exercise and have various partnership agreements ranging from defence equipment trade to military logistics.

Japan is India's 13th-largest trading partner, whereas India is Japan's 18th-largest. With Japan's private sector investment in India steadily increasing, it is among the top five foreign investors in India.

India and Japan's joint efforts to foster a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region demonstrate the strength and potential of their ever-strengthening relationship.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under India's presidency. Formed in 1999, the G20 was setup to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders' declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders' commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.

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