Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed Saturday with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that their countries will expand cooperation in several fields, such as space and state-of-the-art technologies, according to the government.
During their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, Kishida welcomed India’s recent achievement of a successful Moon landing with its Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration mission, the Japanese government said.
Kishida, who hosted the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May, appreciated Modi’s participation in the gathering as an invited guest. He pledged close collaboration with India to ensure the success of the two-day Group of 20 summit taking place in New Delhi through Sunday.
With Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasing military assertiveness in mind, Kishida and Modi confirmed the importance of maintaining a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
On Saturday, Kishida also met separately with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for bilateral talks.
Kishida explained to the two leaders about Japan’s release of treated radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, which began on Aug. 24, the government said.
Rutte expressed support for Japan’s efforts on the issue, while Albanese praised its collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency in discharging the treated water, it added.
As for the release, China has criticized the disposal of “nuclear-contaminated water” from the plant, which suffered meltdowns after the devastating March 2011 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, for harming the marine environment and human health.
Source : Kyodo News
