EXCLUSIVE: Abe to visit India in mid-December

November 19, 2019

Tokyo--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting India in mid-December for talks with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, sources familiar with bilateral relations told Jiji Press on Tuesday.

Abe is planning to stay in India for three days starting as early as Dec. 15, the sources said.

But the schedule may change if the ongoing parliamentary session in Japan is extended from its planned end of Dec. 9.

Abe plans to call on Modi to reconsider his plan to withdraw from talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free trade agreement among 16 Asian and Oceanian countries.

Fifteen of the 16 countries, excluding India, aim to sign the agreement in 2020. Tokyo seeks to realize an RCEP agreement involving all 16 countries.

The two leaders are expected to conclude a bilateral acquisition and cross-servicing agreement to allow the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Indian military to share food and ammunition, according to the sources.

The ACSA is designed to strengthen security cooperation between Japan and India amid China's active maritime expansion.

It would be Abe's first visit to India since September 2017. Modi visited Japan in October last year. The visits are part of the two leaders' shuttle diplomacy. Jiji Press