Combination image of Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
| Photo Credit: AP, ANI
India and Japan would like to open a “golden chapter” in ties, said Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who held her first conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (October 29, 2025), a week after she took office.
The conversation, which lasted about 25 minutes, focused on the Quad, economic and defence cooperation and the mobility of professionals, both sides said.
In a post, Mr. Modi said he had discussed their “shared vision for advancing the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, with focus on economic security, defence cooperation and talent mobility”, indicating India and Japan will move forward with the initiatives and agreements signed during Mr. Modi’s visit to Japan in August, when he met with Ms. Takaichi’s predecessor Shigeru Ishiba, who subsequently had to resign from office.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s office said that Ms. Takaichi stated that India and Japan share “fundamental values and strategic interests”.
“Japan intends to continue to work together toward realizing a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, including through Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad),” it said in statement, adding that Japan will continue its cooperation with India on security, economy, investment, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges, as agreed in August. In a post responding to Mr. Modi on social media, Ms. Takaichi said that she would like to open a “new golden chapter in the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership”, along with Mr. Modi.
The new Japanese Prime Minister has met many of her Asian and Indo-Pacific counterparts already, as she attended the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur last week, that Mr. Modi pulled out of. Ms. Takaichi will be in Gyeongju in South Korea for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) on Thursday.
When asked about whether she will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will hold a closely-watched Summit with U.S. President Trump on Thursday morning, the Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that her schedule is still being finalised.
The conversation between the two Prime Ministers came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Japan, when Ms. Takaichi had also referenced the Quad amongst other initiatives in the Indo-Pacific. However, it is unclear whether the leaders discussed possible dates for attending the Quad Summit, which was due to be hosted by India this year, but has been delayed due to India-U.S. tensions over trade and a number of other issues.
“[Mr. Trump and I] confirmed that we will further enhance the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance and to advance cooperation with like-minded partners, including Japan-U.S.-[South Korea], Japan-U.S.-Philippines, and Japan-U.S.-Australia-India (Quad)”, Ms. Takaichi said in a press statement on Wednesday at the end of the visit, adding their commitment to a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), as first advocated by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe”.
Published – October 30, 2025 01:56 am IST
