Quad Foreign Ministers call on Japanese PM in Tokyo

Tokyo : Quad Foreign Ministers, including India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, jointly called on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida following their meeting in Tokyo on Monday afternoon.

In a meeting that lasted 20 minutes, Kishida Fumio welcomed the progress that has been made in various areas of cooperation following discussions between the Quad grouping's foreign ministers that also included Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko.

"Honoured to call on Prime Minister Kishida along with fellow Quad Foreign Ministers today in Tokyo. Conveyed the warm regards of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefed him on the key takeaways from our meeting today. Appreciate his guidance for continued growth of Quad grouping and value his views on further intensification of India-Japan relations," EAM Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting.

In his remarks, Kishida mentioned that Japan, India, the United States and Australia would continue to cooperate closely at various levels.

"At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the visit of the foreign ministers of the three countries to Japan. He stated that amid increasing uncertainty in the international situation, cooperation among Japan, the United States, Australia and India is becoming increasingly important in order to uphold principles and fundamental values," the Japanese Foreign Ministry stated after the meeting.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Moriya Hiroshi, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Ishihara Hirotaka, and several other top officials also attended the meeting.

"The three foreign ministers stated the importance of Japan, the United States, Australia and India, as partners sharing fundamental values, strengthening a rules-based, free and open international order, and confirmed that the four countries will promote various forms of cooperation and further collaborate together for the sake of peace and stability in the region," the statement added.