India shares a close bilateral relationship with both South Korea and Japan
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will pay bilateral visits to the Republic of Korea and Japan early next month.

EAM Jaishankar will first visit Seoul on March 5-6, 2024 to co-chair the 10th India - Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea Cho Tae-yul. During the visit, he is also expected to meet with Korean dignitaries, heads of think tanks and the Indian community, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday (February 22, 2024).

The India – Republic of Korea Special Strategic Partnership has expanded to diverse areas of cooperation, which include trade, investments, defence, education, science & technology, and culture. The JCM is expected to comprehensively review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and explore avenues for further strengthening it. It will also provide an opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the MEA said.

Thereafter, EAM Jaishankar will visit Japan from March 6-8, 2024 for the 16th India-Japan Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Minister of Japan Yoko Kamikawa. The two Ministers are expected to discuss issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, and exchange views on cooperation for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-pacific.
 
The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership has further deepened in the last decade in areas such as defence and digital technologies, semiconductor supply chains, clean energy, high speed rail, industrial competitiveness and connectivity. According to the MEA, EAM Jaishankar’s visit and meetings in Tokyo will provide strategic guidance to the functional cooperation in these areas.

During his visit to Japan, EAM Jaishankar will also participate in the first Raisina Roundtable@Tokyo. The Roundtable is a key step towards enhancing track 2 exchanges between India and Japan. He is expected to interact with business leaders, think tanks and academia, building upon strong cultural and people-to people ties.

“EAM's visits to the Republic of Korea and Japan, two of our major partners, will impart further momentum to bilateral exchanges and set the agenda for future cooperation,” the MEA stated.