Takaichi to visit India this week for talks with PM Modi

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will make a three-day trip to India next week to meet with her counterpart Narendra Modi, with a focus on advancing cooperation to achieve economic growth, her government said.

During her planned visit to New Delhi from Wednesday, the two countries are also arranging to release a joint declaration on economic security, which is likely to mention their opposition to economic coercion, a Japanese government source said, apparently with China's export controls in mind.

They are also expected to agree on fleshing out cooperation in the five priority areas of semiconductors, critical minerals such as rare earths, information and communication technology, and clean energy and medical goods, according to the source.

In announcing the prime minister's visit to India, the first since she took office last October, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan aims to "further strengthen its strategic relationship with India" by reinforcing cooperation in the areas of economic security, investment and innovation.

Japan and India share "fundamental values such as the rule of law and democracy, as well as strategic interests," and boosting their ties is extremely important to realize a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, the top government spokesman told a press conference.

The two countries are considering pledging in the joint statement to hold talks to align their response to emergency situations caused by economic coercion, such as through the bilateral economic security dialogue framework, the government source with knowledge of the draft document said.

They are also likely to underscore the importance of building what they call a resilient and credible supply chain among like-minded nations and of maintaining a fair competitive environment.

The visit will take place as ties between Japan and China have remained strained since Takaichi's remarks in parliament last November suggesting an attack on Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own territory, could trigger a response by the Japanese defense forces in support of the United States.

India has a longtime territorial dispute with China in a Himalayan border area, but it has recently sought to repair relations on the back of their economic ties, amid U.S. President Donald Trump's high-tariff policy.