Japan, which has a 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' with India, on Thursday strongly condemned the mounting threat of terror while welcoming an Indian parliamentarian delegation headed by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha.
The delegation, consisting of members of all parties and having reached Tokyo already that day, had a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
In the course of the meeting, they again expressed India's strong opposition to terrorism, especially in the international campaign against Pakistan and terror outfits based on its soil as part of Operation Sindoor.
In the beginning, Foreign Minister Iwaya offered his condolences to the victims of the recent terror attack in Kashmir and sympathies to the injured.
"Minister Iwaya also made clear that terrorism can never be justified on any grounds, that Japan strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms, and that Japan is committed to standing together with the international community, including India, in a strong struggle against terrorism," said a statement by Japan's Foreign Ministry after the talks.
Though hailing the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire pact, Iwaya reported that he had spoken over the phone with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. He hoped dialogue would lead to a peaceful resolution, bringing stability to South Asia. Jha, of Janata Dal (United), outlined India's stand on the issue.
Easily, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is also in Tokyo, where he had a Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister Dialogue with Japan's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Takehiro Funakoshi.
The talks covered recent developments in the region, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, and Misri underlined India's zero-tolerance approach to terrorism.
The Indian parliamentary delegation also had important discussions with Takashi Endo, Chairman of the Japanese House of Representatives Committee on National Security.
Iwaya was critical of the need to hold terrorists accountable and was a strong supporter of India's reaction to the Pahalgam attack.
"Reaffirmed our national commitment to act decisively against terror and those who aid terrorism. Appreciative of Japan's solidarity and for calling for accountability of such perpetrators," Jha tweeted on X after the meeting.
A delegation of BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Brij Lal, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Barittas, and Congress veteran Salman Khurshid made the visit.
The visit is the beginning of India's historic diplomatic outreach to lay bare Pakistan's continued role in cross-border terror in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
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