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Days ahead of India-Japan meet, PM Abe calls off visit
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s trip was cancelled a day after Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan called off visits to India following the passage of the CAA.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday called off a visit to India amid violent protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Guwahati, where he was due to hold an annual summit with his counterpart Narendra Modi.
The government planned to hold the December 15-17 summit in Assam’s main city as part of efforts to showcase the country’s diversity by holding high-profile diplomatic events outside the national capital. The two leaders were also expected to make a brief visit to a World War 2 memorial in Imphal.
Guwahati, which was chosen because Japan has provided considerable aid to develop infrastructure in India’s northeastern states, has been at the centre of violent protests against the CAA that left two people dead and caused widespread damage to public property. There were also protests in Tripura and Meghalaya.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “With reference to the proposed visit of Japanese PM Abe to India, both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future.”
He did not give details. No fresh dates were announced for the summit, which is hosted in rotation by the two sides.
In Tokyo, Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Abe postponed the trip “after discussions with the governments of both countries in response to a report from the Indian side regarding the local situation”. Suga said the two countries will decide on the trip “at an appropriate time convenient for both sides”.
People familiar with developments said the Japanese side informed India it wouldn’t be possible for Abe to travel to Guwahati because of the protests. The summit is expected to be held next year and the cancellation of the visit won’t impact bilateral ties, they said.
Abe’s trip was cancelled a day after Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan called off visits to India following the passage of the CAA.
India and Japan announced December 15-17 as the dates for Abe’s visit but refrained from naming the venue. However, officials from both sides had confirmed to HT that Guwahati was to be the venue. Preparations were underway in the city and some of the banners and hoardings put up to welcome Abe were vandalised and burnt by protestors.
