In an attempt to further boost partnership between India and Japan, the two countries have decided to develop 5G and 5G plus technologies with the help of other QUAD members – the US and Australia, reported Hindustan Times.
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According to the report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday and decided to take the bilateral special strategic and global partnership to a new level. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the two leaders focused on “free, open and inclusive” Indo-Pacific region.
“India and Japan have agreed to closely cooperate and develop the 5G and advanced technologies with US and Australia ramping up technological support. We are also taking help from Israel. There are discussions within the government and our 5G policy will take final shape in the coming days. But Japan will be a close partner nevertheless,” said the report citing an official involved in the exercise.
“We agreed that stronger India-Japan ties would help meet the challenges of the current regional and global situation. I look forward to working with PM Suga to further strengthen our all-round partnership,” PM Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
We agreed that stronger India-Japan ties would help meet the challenges of the current regional and global situation.
I look forward to working with PM Suga to further strengthen our all-round partnership.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 25, 2020
The QUAD members are set to meet next month in Tokyo. With growing Chinese aggression in the Indo Pacific region, the QUAD, formed in 2017, has stepped up its cooperation by participating in military exercises. Currently, Indian and Japanese navies are exercising with the possibility of Australian navy joining in November, said the report.
Earlier, India and Japan had inked a key military logistic pact which will allow reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support. It will allow the two countries to use each other’s bases and facilities for repair and replenishment of supplies besides facilitating scaling up of overall cooperation.
Japan has constantly lent its support to India and has criticized “any unilateral” move by China to change the status quo in Ladakh.
