India-Japan will talk on semiconductor and bullet train project, two-plus-plus talks between the two countries on September 20

India and Japan are going to review the roadmap of their military, economic, and diplomatic relations. The third round of talks is scheduled to be held on Tuesday next week (August 20, 2024) under the two-plus-two talks, an arrangement formed to deepen relations between the two countries. Earlier this dialogue took place in the year 2019 and the year 2022.

A meeting of the defense and foreign ministers of both countries has long been perceived as important for the direction of the bilateral ties. Other than reviewing semiconductor and bullet train projects, an engagement on the agenda of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region will also take place. Additionally, new dimensions of defense relations will also be discussed.

On September 08, 2022, in the second two-plus two talk, a very ambitious roadmap was made regarding defense relations, but there has been no significant progress on it so far. This meeting between India and Japan is going to be held when again political instability is dominating Japan. PM Fumiya Kishida has announced his resignation and a new Prime Minister is to be appointed there soon. Under such circumstances, the present Kamikawa Yoko and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara are also likely to be replaced.

By the way, in Japan, there is a political consensus aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with India. It won't be affected by a change of government. Despite this, due to constant political instability, the talks are not able to move forward the way they should. It is, however, being told that after the meeting next week, there would be talk of further intensification of the defense exercises between the armies of both countries. Indeed, in the last meeting, there was an agreement to make the existing defense exercise state-of-the-art.

The policy on the Indo-Pacific region was announced by Japan in 2022, wherein it promised to make its defense system state-of-the-art in five years. In both those announcements, the importance of India has been mentioned. There could be a discussion on that during the upcoming two-plus-two talks too.