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Wallace meets Japan’s Suga, reaffirms defence ties

In his meeting with PM Suga, Wallace emphasised the UK and Japan’s common strategic interests, commitment to stability in the region and a free and open Indo-Pacific…reports Asian Lite News.

During a two-day visit to Japan, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has met with Japan’s Prime Minister Suga and Defence Minister Kishi and reaffirmed the UK and Japan’s close ties in defence and security.

The meet was ahead of the visit of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group to Japan in September.

In his meeting with PM Suga, Wallace emphasised the UK and Japan’s common strategic interests, commitment to stability in the region and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The UK’s defence relationship with Japan is the closest it has been in the last century,” Wallace said.

“Following exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Japan, the upcoming visit of the UK-led Carrier Strike Group to five ports across the country is a clear demonstration of our commitment to maintaining regional security and upholding the rules-based international order with Japan,” he added.

During a joint press conference with Defence Minister Kishi, he announced the Japanese ports that elements of the Carrier Strike Group will be visiting. They will be Sasebo, Okinawa, Kure, Yokosuka, and Maizuru.

Following on from the Carrier Strike Group’s inaugural deployment, the UK will permanently assign two offshore patrol vessels to the Indo-Pacific region from later this year.

It will also contribute a Littoral Response Group (LRG) in the coming years, thereby demonstrating the UK’s commitment to collective defence and security in the region in the decades ahead.

The Secretary of State was accompanied Admiral Antony Radakin, First Sea Lord, and Air Chief Marshal Michael Wigston, Chief of Air Staff. During the visit the Secretary of State and delegation met with senior leadership from the Japanese Self Defence Forces and the U.S Forces in Japan.

“The visit to Japan by senior members of the UK’s armed forces and the Secretary of State represents the ever closer partnership between Japan and the UK and our commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Julia Longbottom, British Ambassador to Japan said.

“The UK is committed to working with Japan to support regional stability and to meet shared global challenges, such as cyber security, combatting global pandemics and ensuring the global systems that promote the free flow of trade and knowledge are strengthened and defended,” he added.

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Modi stresses on importance of India-Japan ties


Prime Minister Modi emphasized, “With Japan, we have the confidence of centuries old cultural relations and also a common vision for the future.”…reports Asian Lite News.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, India-Japan friendship has become even more important for global stability and prosperity, a belief shared by his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

Current challenges demand that our friendship and partnership gets even deeper, stressed the Prime Minister in his remarks at the inaugurating a Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy at AMA, Ahmedabad.

Touching upon his personal equation with the leadership of Japan, he recalled the visit of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Gujarat. “The visit gave a new momentum to India Japan relationship,” he said.

He elaborated on this common belief with the current Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga that in this period of pandemic India-Japan friendship has become even more important for global stability and prosperity.

Prime Minister Modi emphasized, “With Japan, we have the confidence of centuries old cultural relations and also a common vision for the future.”

He pointed towards the strengthening of Special Strategic and Global Partnership with Japan. He also informed about the Japan plus mechanism in the PMO.

The Prime Minister, underlined his personal connect with Japan and his appreciation for affection of people of Japan, their work culture, skills and discipline.

He said that his assertion that “I wanted to create Mini-Japan in Gujarat” encapsulated the aspiration of warmth for visiting Japanese people.

Talking about Japan’s enthusiastic participation in ‘Vibrant Gujarat Summit’ over the years, PM Modi said more than 135 companies, ranging from automobile, banking to construction and pharma, have made Gujarat their base.

Companies like Suzuki Motors, Honda Motorcycle, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Hitachi are involved in manufacturing in Gujarat contributing to skill development of the local youth, he added.

In Gujarat, three Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing are giving skill training to hundreds of youth with tie up with technical universities and IITs, the Prime Minister informed.

Furthermore, JETRO’s Ahmedabad Business Support Centre is providing plug and play work-space facility to up to five companies simultaneously and many Japanese companies are being benefitted by this, he explained.

The Prime Minister had made special efforts to improve golf facilities in Gujarat when, in an informal discussion, he realized that Japanese people love golf.

He also expressed a desire to create a model of schools in Gujarat based on school system of Japan. Modi underlined his appreciation of blend of modernity and moral values in the school system of Japan.

Terming the dedication of the Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy, as a symbol of ease and modernity of India-Japan relationship, the Prime Minister thanked leaders of Hyōgo Prefecture specially the Governor ToshizōIdoand Hyōgo International association for their contribution in the establishment of the Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy.

Pointing to the similarities between ‘Zen’ and Indian ‘Dhyan’, he dwelled on the emphasis on inner peace along with outer progress and growth in the two cultures.
Indians will find the glimpse of the same peace, poise and simplicity in this Zen garden, which they experienced in Yoga through the ages, the Prime Minister added.

He recalled that, as Chief Minister, he implemented Kaizen in Gujarat administration when it was introduced as it was introduced at the time of administrative training in Gujarat in 2004 and a special training camp was organized for the top civil servants in 2005.

‘Continuous improvement’ was reflected in refinement of processes, leading to positive impact on governance, the PM added.

Continuing with the importance of governance in national progress, the he informed that, after becoming Prime Minister, he brought Kaizen related experience of Gujarat to PMO and other Central Government departments.

This has led to simplification of the processes and optimization of office space. Kaizen is being used in many departments, institutions and schemes of the Central Government, said the Prime Minister. (INN)

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Suga to be 1st foreign leader to meet Biden

The two leaders likely to discuss climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, issues related to China and North Korea and cooperation toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region on April 16…reports Asian Lite News

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will hold face-to-face talks with US President Joe Biden in Washington on April 16, the Tokyo government said on Friday.

Suga will become the first foreign leader to meet Biden in person after he took office on January 20, dpa news agency quoted Japanese government spokesman Katsunobu Kato as saying at a briefing here.

It shows “the strong ties of the Japan-US alliance and America’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region”, Kato said.

The two leaders are expected to discuss climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, issues related to China and North Korea and cooperation toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region, he said.

The two leaders’ summit meeting will take place amid heightened tensions as China’s activities in East China and South China seas.

Chinese coastguard vessels frequently approach a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, a source of diplomatic tension between Beijing and Tokyo.

The Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan, where they are called Diaoyu and Tiaoyutai respectively.

The meeting was originally planned in the first half of this month and it has been pushed back to April 16, Kato said.

Also read:Blinken ,Japanese FM discuss free ‘Indo-Pacific’