Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the leader of the first non-Liberal Democratic Party government in democratic Japan, will visit India soon. National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan is likely to firm up the dates during his high-level meetings in Tokyo on Monday.
Besides calling on Mr. Hatoyama, Mr. Narayanan will also meet Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in the first substantial high-level contact between the two countries after the new government took over. The Democratic Party of Japan, which swept the recent elections, has promised to focus more on Asia and loosen ties with the U.S.
The new government has already decided to recall its tankers providing fuel replenishment to U.S.-led warship in the Indian Ocean and Mr. Hatoyama has held summit meetings with leaders of important countries in Japan’s neighbourhood.
Mr. Hatoyama had promised to come up with early dates during his brief interaction with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the recent G-20 summit in Pittsburg. In case the Japanese Prime Minister, currently coping with domestic challenges, visits the country this December or early next year, he would be continuing the annual summit feature between the two countries. India on its part is keen to keep up the momentum of India-Japan ties, with a strong economic focus, despite the change in government in Tokyo.
