Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has cancelled a planned visit to India and the Philippines later this month because of the Covid-19 situation, people familiar with developments said on Wednesday.
A 2+2 meeting of the defence and foreign ministers of India and Japan, which was to be held in Tokyo later this week, has also been called off, the people said on condition of anonymity.
Though both countries were keen on the visit going ahead, a decision was made to call off the trip following consultations on Tuesday because of the Covid-19 situation on both sides, the people said. India recorded more than 295,000 new infections on Wednesday – the biggest daily increase reported in any country – while Japan is grappling with a resurgence of infections.
Neither India nor Japan had formally announced the visit, but Suga had been expected to travel to New Delhi in late April or early May to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in the Indo-Pacific, in the face of China’s growing aggression and assertiveness across the region.
The visit would have set the stage for the first in-person meeting between Suga and Modi, who had developed a close relationship with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
{{/usCountry}}The visit would have set the stage for the first in-person meeting between Suga and Modi, who had developed a close relationship with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
{{/usCountry}}Suga was expected to discuss cooperation in a wide range of areas, ranging from maritime security to development of resilient supply chains and joint projects in third countries, during the visit.
India and Japan have also been working closely within the framework of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, and Suga and his India counterpart Narendra Modi participated in the first leaders’ summit of the grouping last month. Japan is set to provide financing to ramp up the production of Covid-19 vaccines in India for distribution to developing countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan, along with the US, has taken the lead in enhancing cooperation through the Quad, which also includes Australia, to ensure a rules-based order and freedom of navigation in the South and East China Sea. Japan has also backed India’s call for the restoration of the status quo on the Line of Actual Control amid the dragging military standoff with China.
The cancellation of Suga’s visit follows British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling off a trip to New Delhi on April 25. Modi has also cancelled a planned visit to Portugal next month for the India-European Union Summit. Johnson and Modi will hold a virtual meeting on April 26 and the India-EU Summit too will be held in a virtual format. There are no plans as of now for a virtual meeting between the Indian and Japanese premiers.