India, Japan to hold talks on foreign policy, defence issues

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma will represent India at the dialogue meetings, official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin said here today.

Apart from reviewing status of bilateral ties and deliberate upon regional and international issues of mutual interest, the two sides will also discuss global security situation, official sources said.

While Japan has been holding similar consultations with the US and Australia, this is India's first 2+2 dialogue which is an indication of the growing proximity between India and Japan.

The first 2 + 2 India-Japan interaction was held in July 2010. Intended to be an annual event, however, the meeting could not be held last year due to scheduling problems, the spokesperson said.

Mathai will first hold Foreign Office Consultations (FoCs) which will be followed by consultations with the Japanese Vice Foreign Minister and Sharma will co-chair the India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue.

Scheduled ahead of meeting between Singh and his Japanese counterpart, Yoshihiko Noda, the officials will also discuss the agenda and possible deliverables during the Summit-level meeting.

India is hoping for some Japanese investment and projects to flow towards India, especially in the field of rare earth metals, due to Tokyo