PM Modi arrives in Japan for Quad Summit, commits to 'free and open Indo-Pacific'

India and Japan will contribute towards building an open, free and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, connected by secure seas, integrated by trade and investment, defined by respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity and anchored in international law, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an op-ed published in a leading Japanese newspaper on Monday.

Prime Minister Modi, who is in Japan on a two-day visit to attend a summit of the Quad leaders at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, penned an op-ed on the vibrant relations between India and Japan in the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

As two democracies, strategically located in the Indo-Pacific region, we can be important pillars of a stable and secure region. That is why our partnership is expanding across a broad range of areas, he said.

Our defence ties are growing rapidly, from exercises and information exchanges to defence manufacturing. We are doing more in cyber, space and underwater domains, Modi said in the op-ed titled 'India-Japan: A Partnership for Peace, Stability and Prosperity'.

He said that India and Japan will also contribute towards building an open, free and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, connected by secure seas, integrated by trade and investment, defined by respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity and anchored in international law, he wrote, amidst China's aggressive actions in the region.

China has territorial disputes with many countries in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. The Chinese government claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it.

Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. It is also involved in a maritime dispute with Japan over the East China Sea.

Besides security, together and with like-minded partners in the region and beyond, in institutions and arrangements like Quad, we are promoting initiatives for development, infrastructure, connectivity, sustainability, health, vaccines, capacity building and humanitarian disaster response in the region, Prime Minister Modi said.

A peaceful and prosperous Indo Pacific region will be critical for a better future for the entire world, he said.

The Quad, officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a group of four countries: the United States, Australia, India, and Japan. Maritime cooperation among them began after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. But today the countries—all democracies and vibrant economies—work on a far broader agenda, which includes tackling security, economic, and health issues.