EAM’s opening remarks during 18th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue (January 16, 2026)

Excellency, Minister Motegi, My friend Toshi, it is a great pleasure to welcome you back to India. I am very glad that we meet at the beginning of the new year. We had just met a few weeks ago in Kuala Lumpur soon after you had taken over. But I also remember, when I became the Foreign Minister, at that time you were already Foreign Minister, so for us, this is not a new relationship - we have known each other, we have worked closely with each other, even when you were handling matters of the Party, we used to keep up with our friendship. So once again, really a very warm welcome.

Let me today, as I welcome you, underline that India attaches very great priority to its friendship with Japan, and over the last two decades, we have been successful in transforming the relationship from what was primarily an economic relationship into one that is broad, comprehensive and strategic in its focus. We attach the highest priority to working with Japan in international forums and immediately in Quad, United Nations, G4 membership, and the G20 come to mind.

As I reflect on the relationship, it is obviously worth recalling that the speech of a Japanese Prime Minister who in his address to the Indian Parliament laid the ground for the emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a political, economic and strategic construct.

Much time has passed but the relationship today sees that our initiative, what we call MAHASAGAR - which is Oceans in a way, and our vision for the Indo-Pacific aligns closely with your Free and Open Indo-Pacific outlook.

We are leading democracies, we are the major economies of the world, and we have today not just an opportunity, but also an obligation, a duty to shape the global order, and in the current uncertain global situation, it's even more important that we work closely towards shared strategic goals.

Excellency, Economic Security today is particularly paramount. I think both our countries attach enormous importance to it, and how to de-risk our own economies, and how to de-risk the international economy are both very important. So, we will be discussing resilient supply chains, critical minerals, how to address energy, health, and maritime security in our talks today. Next year we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic ties. Special Strategic and Global Partnership is on a continuous upward trajectory, and I am sure that we will celebrate that in a very fitting manner. So today in our bilateral discussions, I hope to address with you key priorities in our ties - some of which were already discussed when you called on the Prime Minister. But in addition, because you are coming here from the Philippines, and that is illustrative of our Indo-Pacific convergence. You have also visited Qatar, Israel and Palestine, so it shows our shared interest in that region - West Asia/ Middle East, as you call it. It also underlines our energy commonality. So, there is a lot that we have to discuss.

So once again, a very very warm welcome, and finally I must say even though I have known you for so long, it was for me such a pleasant discovery to see your deep attachment to Cricket. It was reflected in your article today. I had some sense from our earlier conversations, but it was news to me that you actually have a proper playing field in your home town, and I hope one day, that I have the opportunity of joining you there. So once again, a very very warm welcome.

New Delhi
January 16, 2026