Tokyo, May 22 (IANS) Japan, which shares a ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ with India on Thursday condemned in the strongest terms the growing threat of terrorism as the country hosted a visiting delegation of Indian Parliamentarians led by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha.
The all-party parliamentary delegation from India, which arrived in Tokyo earlier in the day, called on Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, reaffirming India’s unwavering stand against terrorism under Operation Sindoor’s global outreach campaign that aims at exposing Pakistan and the global terror outfits operating from its soil.
At the beginning, Iwaya offered his condolences to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack in Kashmir and offered his sympathies to those who were injured.
“Minister Iwaya also stated that terrorism cannot be justified for any reason, that Japan firmly condemns terrorist acts in all forms, and that Japan is determined to join hands with the international community, including India, in a firm fight against terrorism,” read a statement issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry after the meeting.
As Iwaya welcomed the recent agreement by India and Pakistan to suspend military operations and mentioned that he had held telephone talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, hoping that the issue would be resolved through dialogue for the sake of peace and stability in South Asia, Jha, a Janata Dal (United) MP, explained in detail India’s position on the current situation.
Interestingly, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is also in Tokyo and held the Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister Dialogue with Japan’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Takehiro Funakoshi.
While exchanging views on recent regional situations, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, Misri also conveyed India’s message on zero tolerance for terror.
Meanwhile, the all-party parliamentary delegation from India also held key talks with Takashi Endo, Chairman of the Japanese House of Representatives Committee on National Security.
Iwaya emphasised the need to bring perpetrators of terror to justice and voiced strong support for India’s response to the Pahalgam attack.
“Reiterated our national resolve to act firmly against terror and those who support it. Grateful for Japan’s support and for calling for justice against perpetrators of such acts,” Jha posted on X after the meeting.
The delegation also includes BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Brij Lal, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Barittas, and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid.
Their visit marks the beginning of India’s unprecedented diplomatic campaign to expose Pakistan’s sustained role in cross-border terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
–IANS
int/as