Takaichi, Modi Agree to Deepen Japan-India Strategic Cooperation

New Delhi, July 2 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on Thursday affirmed their intentions to deepen the two countries' strategic cooperation with the aim of achieving common goals, including realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

After their meeting in New Delhi, the two leaders released a joint statement voicing "grave concerns" over the use of economic coercion, likely with China in mind.

The prime ministers recognized that the current international situation "calls for both countries to further promote tangible cooperation" in economic security, the statement said, adding, "They committed to deepening economic security cooperation and developing key initiatives to support a resilient and prosperous region."

As leading democracies and major economies in the world, Japan and India "have a duty to shape and uphold an international order" that is "free, open and based on the rule of law," it also said.

Takaichi, on a three-day visit to India from Wednesday, said in a joint press conference after the bilateral summit that she aims to elevate Japan-India relations to a higher level, while Modi called for achieving the two countries' shared ambition of global progress.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]