With Ukraine, Quad in focus, Japan PM Fumio Kishida lands in India today

With the Ukraine crisis and further strengthening of Quad grouping, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will reach India to take part in the 14th annual India Japan summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Both leaders will meet around 5 PM IST in Delhi, the second such an in-person meeting after both leaders met last year on the sidelines of the Glasgow Climate Summit. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno ahead of the visit said, "From March 19th to 21st, PM Kishida will visit India and Cambodia. During his travel, PM Kishida will meet PM Modi of India... to discuss the international and regional affairs as well as the bilateral relationship. They will address a broad range of topics...through Quad we would like to advance efforts to achieve free and open Indo Pacific", adding, "will discuss Ukraine situation".

Japan, along with the west has announced sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine that started on 24th February. Japan is also sanctioning Russia's state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Russia's Rosoboronexport is involved in the K-203 Kalashnikov project in Amethi and other defence pacts with India. India meanwhile has abstained from United Nations over the Ukraine crisis and is looking to import discounted Russian oil something that is seen as a pragmatic approach domestically.  

The visit comes even as India and Japan celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic ties. This is the first visit by any Japanese PM to India in 4 and half years. While India and Japan have an annual summit-level mechanism under which Prime Ministers of both countries travel to each other's countries alternatively, the delay has been due to the ongoing covid crisis. 

PM Fumio, become the Japanese PM in October of last year and had visited India earlier in his capacity as foreign minister. According to reports by Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the incoming Japanese PM plans to announce 5 trillion yen or $42 billion investment in India for the next 5 years during the 2-day visit. During the weekly ministry of external affairs presser on Thursday, spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "the summit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review and strengthen the bilateral cooperation in diverse areas, as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, so as to advance partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo Pacific region and beyond."

Later this year, PM Modi is expected to visit Japan for the 2nd Quad in-person summit in Japan. Quad, involving India, the US, Australia, Japan is been evolving fast amid the Chinese aggressive actions in the Indo Pacific. This is the first Head of government/head of state-level incoming visit to India this year. Japan has been one of the closest partners for India in Asia and the world. 

The country has been involved in building major infrastructure projects, especially in India's northeast. PM had last year laid the foundation stone of a 20 km-long bridge over the Brahmaputra River between Assam and Meghalaya. Varanasi Convention Centre (Rudraksha) was inaugurated by PM last year and the then Japanese PM Suga had sent a video message. The country has a major role in India's first bullet train or Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail and in terms of defence, both sides have signed a Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services Agreement (RPSS).

As part of getting a trained Indian workforce, India and Japan have signed Specified Skilled Workers Agreement. Under Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP), 220 Indian youth have been sent to Japan to work. The Japanese side has since January this year started examination for nursing care under this programme.