Visit of Japanese PM is expected to last around 27 hours

NEW-DELHI: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in India on Monday (March 20) morning for talks on boosting bilateral ties in several areas including defense and security, trade and investment and high technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kishida will also discuss priorities for India's G-20 presidency and Japan's G-7 presidency.

Taking in view India's increasing significance, the Japanese prime minister is also likely to talk about his plan for a "free and open Indo-Pacific" in the region during this period. The emerging situation in the Indo-Pacific region against the backdrop of China's growing military assertiveness is also likely to come up in the broader dialogue between Modi and Kishida.

The visit of the Prime Minister of Japan is expected to last around 27 hours. He is expected to present his views on "A Free and Open Indo-Pacific Plan for Peace" during a lecture at a leading think-tank. This plan is likely to underline India's importance in relation to the Indo-Pacific. During the prestigious Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June last year, Kishida had said that he would prepare a plan for the Indo-Pacific in the coming days.