India, Japan discuss maritime, counter-terrorism cooperation
New Delhi, June 19: India and Japan on Tuesday discussed cooperation in the areas of maritime security and counter-terrorism among other issues during the fifth dialogue under the 2+2 mechanism that involves and foreign and defence policies of the two sides, a statement said.
"Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of India-Japan relations and discussed issues having overlapping foreign policy and security dimensions of India-Japan cooperation and consultations," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
"Both sides reaffirmed their common desire to build on the strong foundations of bilateral cooperation and exchanges in order to forge a relationship of mutual benefit," it said.
"In this context, both sides discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in fields such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, defence equipment and technology, peacekeeping operations, etc."
India and Japan, along with the US and Australia, are part of a quad that was revived late last year that aims to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
India and Japan elevated their bilateral relationship to that of a Special and Strategic Global Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan in 2014 for the annual bilateral summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and, according to the statement, Tuesday's meeting was held in keeping with this.
"The discussions, which also centred on important issues covering regional and global dimensions, helped to further underscore the shared values and interests between India and Japan," the statement added.
The 2+2 vice-ministerial dialogue was led by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra on the Indian side while the Japanese side was led by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori and Vice-Minister of Defence for International Affairs Ro Manabe.
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Annamalai flogs himself as pledged, calls it a protest against 'injustice' in Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore: Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, as pledged, flogged himself outside his residence in Coimbatore on Friday. The act, performed in the presence of mediapersons and BJP supporters, was part of his protest against what he termed as "continued injustice" under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.
Dressed in a green mundu and shirtless, Annamalai flogged himself with a white whip, reportedly eight times, before supporters intervened to stop him. Placards carried by BJP supporters included slogans like “Don’t you have any shame Stalin?” and “#ShameOnYouStalin,” referencing DMK's leader and Chief Minister M K Stalin.
Speaking to the media after the ritual, Annamalai described his actions as rooted in Tamil culture. He explained that such rituals symbolize surrender to a higher power and are a form of protest against administrative inefficiencies. “This is not against any individual but against the injustice prevalent in the state. The recent events at Anna University are just the tipping point,” he said.
Annamalai also reiterated his pledge to not wear footwear until the DMK government is overthrown. “Our goal for 2026 is to remove DMK from power and restore Tamil Nadu’s glory,” he added.
VIDEO | BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai (@annamalai_k) whips himself outside his residence in Coimbatore to condemn the police, and the state government for their 'apathy' in handling the case of sexual assault of a student of Anna University.#TamilNaduNews
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 27, 2024
(Full video… pic.twitter.com/v3G3DD3nn9
