Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, reached Tokyo after successfully completing his maiden trip to Mongolia. He will participate in the second India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on Thursday and hold a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart. Rajnath Singh will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The two will be holding talks with the minister of defence of Japan Yasukazu Hamada and the minister of foreign affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Singh began his five-day visit to Mongolia and Japan from Monday with an aim to strengthen the ties with these two nations on the backdrop of Chinese aggression in the region. His visit to Mongolia, which concluded on Wednesday, is the first ever visit to the country by an Indian defence minister.
Rajnath Singh in Tokyo: What to expect
“The 2+2 Dialogue will review bilateral cooperation across domains and chart out the way forward,” the statement issued by the Ministry of Defence said. It may be noted that year 2022 marks the completion of 70 years of diplomatic relations between Indian and Japan. The two sides have been pursuing what New Delhi and Tokyo define as a Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
In addition to his participation in the 2+2 Dialogue, Rajnath Singh is slated to hold bilateral meetings with his Japanese counterpart to strengthen the defence cooperation between India and Japan. He is also expected to call on Japanese PM Fumio Kishida during the visit.
Later during the day on Thursday, he will attend a special community event organized by the Embassy of India in Tokyo and meet the Indian diaspora in Japan.
