In a poignant moment during his first visit to Tokyo since the tragic demise of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a heartfelt meeting with Abe’s widow, Akie. Conveying personal condolences on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the recent loss of Shinzo Abe’s mother, Jaishankar recalled the late prime minister’s exceptional leadership and significant efforts in fostering closer ties between India and Japan.
Shinzo Abe’s assassination on July 8, 2022, had sent shockwaves around the globe. During a campaign speech, he was fatally shot by Tetsuya Yamagami, who was arrested immediately and admitted to the crime, citing his grievances related to Abe’s supposed connections to a disliked religious group.
During the three-day trip from March 6 to 8, Jaishankar participated in the 16th India-Japan Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue with his counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa. Together, they recognized the imperative to align bilateral relations with evolving geopolitical and economic landscapes. They contemplated over various domains, including pioneering areas like emerging technologies. The discussions reflected a shared vision of stability and advancement in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, amid the shift towards a more multipolar global order.
On March 7, 2024, Jaishankar vocalized the influential role that India and Japan play concerning Asian multipolarity while addressing the Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo. Stressing the necessity for the United Nations to undergo reforms to stay relevant to contemporary needs, particularly through the G4 initiative, Jaishankar underscored their joint ambition to promote a world order grounded in freedom, openness, and transparency. The alignment between the two nations is imperative in times marked by increasing volatility and unpredictability on the global stage.
Jaishankar highlighted how consensuses are harder to achieve given the rise in global discord, hence the trend of nations gravitating towards alliances with like-minded countries for collective purposes. India and Japan, according to Jaishankar, are set to become stronger partners in an era of ‘re-globalisation’, given their democratic ideologies and market-driven economies. The Raisina Roundtable signified a step towards accelerating dialogue and cooperation between the two nations. The outcomes of Jaishankar’s strategic meetings in Tokyo are anticipated to inform ongoing collaborations and set the foundation for future initiatives between India and Japan.